Consciousness, Literature and the Arts
Archive
Volume 5 Number 1, April 2004
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Dosamantes-Beaudry, Irma. The Arts in Contemporary Healing. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. (Contributions in Psychology, #45). xii, 154 p. ISBN 0-313-32198-1. $59.95 Hardback.
Reviewed by
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
This book, which uses the September 11, 2001 tragedy as a takeoff point, presents a “developmental-relational arts-based model of healing” to assist in the transformation of self and community that explores psychological spaces as both an expression of therapy and an agent for healing. In simpler terms, through case studies and examples, the author introduces a model for the use of art-making as a process for healing and coping with difficult catastrophic life events and transitions. It is geared toward people who live in contemporary Western heterogeneous societies and lead modernist lifestyles.
The author states in the Introduction that “the traditional Western medical or disease model has focused on the prospect of curing the symptoms of illness rather than on maintaining of supporting wellness, growth, and development.” A holistic approach differs from this, in that it focuses on people gaining some sense of peace and wholeness whether or not the illness can be cured. The concept of regression-reintegration as a key process underlying all healing transitions is described in Chapter 2 “Transitions and the Regression-Reintegration Process.” Chapter 3, “The Intimate Social Sphere and the Origins of Potential Space, Illusory Experience, Creativity, and Self-Generativity,” introduces the theoretical framework of the book through the field of creative arts therapies. Object relationships and personal one-to-one developmental-relational approaches to arts-based healing comprise the content of Chapter 4, “The Intimate Sphere: Site of Personal Artistic Expression and Self-Regeneration,” where numerous case studies and vignettes are presented to support the author’s thesis. Three kinds of object relationships are examined: 1) the subjective, 2) the intersubjective, and 3) the interpersonal. Chapter 5, “The Public Social Sphere: Site of Artistic Cultural Expression and Communal Healing,” examines public relationships and their contribution to our sense of belonging. The author stresses that healing practices differ among and between cultures, and how Western society has fractured and isolated many cultural groups from their healing traditions. The work of several creative arts therapists and artists who have adopted the developmental-relational arts-based model of healing are detailed in Chapter 6, “The Creation of Communitas through Group Art-Making,” while Chapter 7 is a recapitulation and conclusion that reiterates the key conceptual and practice process elements encompassed by this book.
Each chapter in the book contains a reference/bibliography, and the book as a whole has an author and subject index. Overall, I found the book to be interesting and challenging at the same time. While the style and language were sometimes hard to follow, the numerous examples and case studies help the reader to link up practical situations with the psychological terminology that the author employs throughout. There are also a few black-and-white photographs in the book that show some of the art work and therapeutic examples that are discussed. It is a well-written explanation and examination of the holistic healing approach from the arts perspective, along with many practical examples and case studies to illustrate this psychological healing theory in action.