Jeanne Achterberg wrote a marvelous piece of work that dealt with the roles in which imagery plays in the field of medical practice. Imagery has been seen as a productive catalyst for provoking people’s imagination into perceiving different emotions and inducing numerous changes in our bodies. History of imagery as a vital medication, how imagery can positively affect people physically, the use of imagery as a method of psychotherapy, are a few of the major points that Jeanne articulates for researchers to comprehend regarding this useful and effective medical practice.
The use of imagery in medicine dates all the way back to the days of Galen as well as Aristotle. Galen was the pioneer of the study dealing with how health can be affected by our imaginations. He found that when people are seeing images of great loss and tragedy then people are often found to be in a somber mood and headed into a dark place, which increased poor health condition. An excess of humorous images and thoughts Galen said, were positive attributes for people to break out of a negative health cycle and boosted health conditions from poor to well.
The human body’s physiology change from imagery was dissected carefully in this work as well. Numerous studies have been performed dealing with this, but one stood out the most in chapter four. Jeanne wrote about a study that was performed where people were told to think carefully and detailed about imagining themselves physically lifting weights and exercising. These people performing the imagery test were found to have had an increase in their muscle tensions within their body, alterations in their blood glucose levels, and other changes in their body.
Another important section of this book consisted upon the...
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...tem. Now I know that actually changing our mental images while we are in bad health can speed our recovery time as much as regular medication can, if not more so. I believe that this should be told to more patients so that they can work hard on their imagination during a tough time so that they could get better even faster than they think.
Imagery In Healing created a lasting impact upon me that will never dissipate. My views upon science and the area of imagination have grown immensely. The use of imagination to affect the human health system requires a psychological commitment to impact us physically according to many researchers, doctors, and scientists. The garnering of mental thought and image was closely analyzed and portrayed within this work to explain the science behind how our bodies can experience physical change in a reasonable and interesting fashion.
Drawings and other self-generated forms of visual art produced by people suffering from mental illness sparked the interest of psychiatrists around the end of the 19th century. They were considered “outpourings of the mind in turmoil” (Rubin 6). Fascinated by these samples of artwork, psychiatrists began to study them in an attempt to better understand the creator and the illness. Art therapy is a fluid, adaptable and evolving field. Today art therapists employ a variety of methods and work in a variety of rehabilitation settings, but the focus of this paper is the use and benefits of visual art therapy in correctional settings. Unfortunately, there has been little research to measure the effectiveness of art therapy in prison. Researchers are still in the early stages of understanding what art therapy does, how it does this, and why it is effective. Through art therapy programs, prisoners are able to more fully come to know themselves and are therefore fore able to authentically participate in life and community as well as develop an ongoing motivation towards recovery.
As The Narrator recovers from his coma caused by an object falling on him he is attending physiotherapy sessions in order to regain his memory of movement and action. This therapy is causing The Narrator to think out each retraction and relaxation of muscles in a given task. As The Narrator does this it is becoming imprinted on his mind that he has to think out everything h...
Imagery is when the author presents a mental image through descriptive words. One prime example of imagery that the author uses is in paragraph 3; where she tells of a moment between a man and a woman. In this narration she states the time, year, outfit of each character described, and what the female character was doing. These details might come across as irrelevant, or unnecessary, but this is Didions way of showing what the blueprint of notebook it. Using imagery reinforces the foundation of the essay, and what the essay’s mission was.
Associative Art is expressive art forms such as sculpture, drawing, and painting that relates to the traumatic event. In order for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder patients to heal, they need to express and work through their emotions to regain a positive focus. While there are three common effects these patients undergo, avoidance, intrusion, and hyper arousal, associative art can be implemented to each as a corrective solution to help patients express emotions and thoughts that cannot be put into words. There are two key concepts that play a part of associative art that makes it a reasonable solution to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. For one, the majority of P...
When the topic of creativity comes up, for most people, the conversation would normally involve art or music. But when I think of creativity, I think of the incredible world of medicine. In this research paper, I argue that creativity isn't just limited to the world of art and literature, but rather it is extremely important even in the medical field. Many advancements have been made in the medical field due to an individual’s discovery or innovative idea. I want to bring awareness to the importance of creativity in the medical field and how it plays a crucial role in the future of medicine. Innovations like the MRI or Gleevec, and the events leading up to the complete eradication of Smallpox, are just a handful of some of the most incredible life-saving medical breakthroughs in modern history. In the world of medicine, peoples creativity has and continues to save thousands of lives everyday, all, one creative idea at a time.
Alain De Botton on Art as Therapy. Dir. Alain De Botton. Perf. Alain De Botton. The
“Art therapy is a form of therapy in making of visual images (paintings, drawings, models etc.) in the presences of a qualified art therapist contributes towards externalization of thoughts and feelings which may otherwise remain unexpressed”(Walter & Gilory, 1992).
In The Nirvana Principle by Lisa Bird-Wilson, the narrator often describes a particular image of a body in the river that is used to help her work towards this healing process with self-therapy. Throughout the story Hanna gradually reveals more in her narrative as the reader’s progress further to the truth. As the story advances, the reader’s can identify a development with the narrators healing process by the imagery used of the body in the ravine. In the end, it is revealed the true representation and meaning behind this imagery. Ultimately, this discovery exhibits alleviation in the narrator distress from her trauma
Throughout history, explanations for mental illness have been described as supernatural, psychological, and biological. Prior to the early Greek physicians, the supernatural model of mental illness prevailed. Early humans did not have science to explain natural events so magic, mysticism, and superstition were used as a substitution. They believed in animism, the idea that all of nature is alive, and anthropomorphism, the tendency to project human features onto nature. Reification was also a popular belief that assumed if you can think of something, it exists. Sympathetic magic was the idea that one can heal and individual by influencing an object that is similar or closely associated to them (Frazer, 1890/1963). Primitive healers would often imitate the patient's ailments and then model the recovery. Reification also lead to the bel...
There is a correlation between aesthetics and cognitive function, mood, attitude and emotions. The way in which we are affected by seeing art, touching scultures, dancing or listening to music has a profound affect on almost all human beings. Art therapy can help to mend thought process emotions and understanding of ourself, others as well as our environment. “The current gap in our understanding of creativity in screenplay writing by focusing on the cognitive, conative, affective, and environmental factors that come into play at different stages in the creative process” (Bourgeois-Bougrine et al., 2014
What is mental imagery? In The Effects of Mental Imagery on Athletic Performance, Anne Plessinger describes mental imagery as the imagining of the execution of an action without actually performing the action. Plessinger also explains that mental imagery not only includes visual senses, but also auditory, olfactory and kinesthetic senses (4). Studies have demonstrated that mental imagery prior to athletic performance leads to better results than the execution of the action alone. Plessinger describes an experiment that consisted of a control group and an imagery group who were told to complete specific golf skills. It was concluded that the imagery group performed better because they had higher goals and expectations of themselves (4). Perhaps the mental preparation helped the imagery group’s brains acquire the right skills needed. Also, other studies have shown specific physiological differences (breathing, heart rate...etc.) with the addition of mental imagery before performance (1).
Art Therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association, as “the therapeutic use of art, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma, or disabilities, and are seeking personal development.” This process uses art media, images, and performances to enhance the patient’s abilities, personality, and quality of life. Patients who use art as a therapeutic device engage in creative outlets which allow them to gain emotional healing and relief from stressful and terminal diseases or disabilities (Benefits, 1). Art Therapy is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational and forensic institutions. This treatment also has a variety of clientele, and formats, such as: individuals, couples, family, and group therapy. Creating, viewing, and talking about art, provides a way for people to cope with emotional conflicts and increase self-awareness (History, 1). The ability to create or interpret art provides the patient the proper format to express unspoken and often unconscious concerns about their misfortunes. Coupled with medical treatment, Art Therapy provides emotional support and stability for many people throughout the world. Although it is a growing field, with 34 master’s programs approved by the American Art Therapy Association in universities throughout the United States, Art Therapy departments and therapists are continuously shown a lack of appreciation and support. Other than the actual patients and their loved ones, successes shown within this form of treatment are relatively unheard of by the general public. The significance that Art Therapy has in the medical world should be known because is completely safe, without side effects and incredibly important to many people (Ar...
One of the disadvantages of art therapy is that the therapist is more vulnerable to misinterpretation in terms of the objective understanding of content. Care must be taken not to make rapid interpretations on the specific piece of art which might prevent or even deny the client the satisfaction of discovering and finding out for herself (Case and Dalley, p. 65). This is because art therapy involves a lot of interpretation, it is understandable that critics about this technique are similar to that of psychotherapy. The client’s images can come across as many things with contrasting ideas, but only the individual themself can explain it. The therapist is urged not to point out obvious red signals, instead they should allow the client to come up with their own interpretations. Their own interpretations alone are something to make note of as it may shed some light on the client's thought process about the
Art therapy is a relatively a young therapeutic discipline. Adrian Hill, a tuberculosis patient discovered the benefits of drawing while recovering. In 1942, Adrian Hill coined the term ‘’art therapy’’. In 1946, the first art therapy post was established in the National Health Service. However the profession was officially recognized by the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine after 35 years (1981) since the first art therapy was est...