ERIC Number: EJ776999
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 7
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-1656
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Available Date: N/A
Experiences with Bilateral Art: A Retrospective Study
McNamee, Carole M.
Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, v23 n1 p7-13 2006
Recent advances in neuroscience describe the effect of experience on neural architecture. Paralleling these advances in neuroscience, recent explorations in the field of art therapy speculate on the relationship between specific therapeutic interventions and neuroplasticity, which underlies the changes in neural architecture. One such intervention, bilateral art, purposefully engages both left and right hemispheres of the brain, as well as multiple sensory systems, in responding to client-identified conflicted elements of experience. This paper summarizes experiences using bilateral art over an eighteen-month period with individuals at a university family therapy center. The bilateral art intervention was applied to a range of presenting problems including relationship issues, depression, anxiety, and trauma. Outcome measures include client reported scalings, as well as client-reported and/or therapist observed changes in behavior over time. Additionally, this paper presents indicators for the use of bilateral art an as intervention, as well as contraindications for its use. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Intervention, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Art Therapy, Art Products, Brain, Neurology, Counseling Techniques, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Multisensory Learning, Psychological Patterns, Mental Disorders, Counseling Effectiveness, Outcomes of Treatment
American Art Therapy Association. 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. Tel: 888-290-0878; Tel: 703-212-2238; Fax: 847-566-4580; e-mail: info@arttherapy.org; Web site: http://www.arttherapy.org/aaatj.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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