Saturday, September 25, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Art Therapy & Deafmutism –
Aadhar creates its new
rainbow
Anxiety, agitated behavior, echolalia, sensitivity — these are regular feelings for many children who have deaf mutism. They can’t express their feelings vocally. Beyond Horizon Health and Social Circle (BHAAS), a non profit organization working in the field of health, environment and Ayurveda along with Creative Healing Art Therapy (CHAT) had organized free medical checkup and mental health assessment program through Art therapy at Aadhar Autistic School, Bibewadi on 10th August 2010.
Having deaf mutism is mentally, physically, and emotionally stressful and many people living with it (particularly those on the “higher” end of the spectrum) can benefit from productive ways of expressing their feelings, says Pratibha Dande, the Headmistress of the Aadhar Autistic School.
Art making has shown to enhance cognitive abilities, improve social skills, and encourage self-esteem in school-age children, says Dr.Atul Rakshe founder of BHAAS.
Creative Art Therapy Project encourages children with deaf mutism to develop their artistic skills. “Honestly, I think public awareness of art therapy for autistic children has to be improved in our country. If you don’t intervene at an early stage then you may miss opportunities to alleviate anxiety which may lead to attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and depression too,” said Dr. Vikas.
“Based on this medical health checkup and mental health assessment evaluation we are developing creative art activities to help reduce 
impulsive behaviors, enhance interpersonal behavior, and improve study skills and classroom performance. In students with sensory-motor deficits, we choose specific art tasks that help to expand fine and gross motor skills, support self-esteem, and increase independence.” says Dr.Kavita Jadhav, Physiotherapist from Hardikar hospital.
Drawing is a useful tool for both revealing and addressing visual-spatial deficits such as mental rotation and improving hand-eye coordination.
The pictures that the children draw had recurrent themes: dirty fish tanks, weak fishes, pollutants and toxins in water which were explained as water pollution caused by humans. This depicts their environmental awareness and understanding of ecosystem.
To be happy, to play in the sun, dream about flying planes and being astronauts, play football and cricket for Indian national team like other normal children are among the rights of autistic children too. Art projects provide a person with ASD with visual, concrete format in which to develop abstract thinking skills, express creativity, and increase flexibility .In addition to the art therapy project, there is other work underway to find ways to provide direct psychological counseling to both child and parent, in order to help parents guide their children through the ongoing disability.
On seeing an old man beautifully drawn by a student Dr.Vikas, who was observing the art therapy process in action asked him to tell something about his painting.
Yogesh, a 6th grade student grinned, “This is my dearest grandfather, who used to love me so much.” On asking him how is your grandfather now, he sadly replied. “He is no more. He left us last week.” Yogesh’s answer provided an important clue about the reason why he was staring into space for long time nowadays and that could help teachers improve the process aimed at healing him.”
The art therapy process helps uncover the complex nature of the youngsters’ hearts, where the problems lie,” said Dr.Vikas Chothe, an art therapist and Ayurvedic physician.
In a “My life” activity, art therapist Dr.Vikas gave a presentation about lives of famous personalities like Bill Gates, Beethoven , Thomas Alva Edison, Mozart , Vincent van Gogh , Henry Ford etc and how they achieved great success inspite of being Autistic at some part of their lives. Then he asked them to draw what they wanted to do in their life, on a small sheet of paper.
The inspired, ignorant-looking children drew almost in unison about flying fighter planes, car racing, football, cricket, being chef, mathematicians, astronauts and businessmen. It is this evidence that convinces that these children can not only be good citizens in society but also be pioneers in different arenas of life.
All the seven doctors who participated in this camp were felicitated by Mrs.Pratibha Dande, headmistress of the school. About 108 children were examined and suitable recommendations were given for their overall health and personality development.
“The physical health checkup revealed that these children are more prone to gastrointestinal disorders, recurrent cough and cold, some children also had problems of bed wetting. Few children had dental and skin problems too.” said Dr.Aditi Kumbhar.
Early intervention of art therapy into a child with deaf mutism’s life is one helpful way to release stress and get to know who they are and hence a parent teacher meeting is arranged on 31st August to increase awareness and remove myths about ASD(autism spectrum disorder) amongst the parents.
A three months Art therapy program is going to be conducted for children who showed anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and aggression in their mental health assessment.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Art a day keeps doctor away....
A picture is worth a thousand words. This is very true not only for children who often have problems talking about their painful experiences,but also in various mental health patients.
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy. Through the use of artistic expressions and other diagnostic procedures, doctors will be able to more accurately treat patients. Ayurvedic physician, Dr.Vikas Chothe practicing art therapy at Astha deaddiction centre says, “Sometimes disturbed people cannot tell others about their feelings and thoughts. Art therapy not only allows them to tell their stories, it is also a healing process.“Through art, doctors will be able to analyse what they have gone through, what is on their minds and recommend the appropriate treatment. Case studies have involved many areas including burn recovery in adolescents and young children, eating disorders, emotional impairment in young children, reading performance, childhood grief, and sexual abuse in adolescents”
Dr. Vaibhav Lunkad says one of his patients refused to talk about her problem. For several sessions, she remained silent and uncooperative. Realising that the normal approach was not working, he decided to give her paper and colorful crayons, and encouraged her to draw anything she wanted. She began to open up. Her sketches were dark and gloomy, reflections of her severe depression. She had been sexually and physically abused, and using her paintings, she communicated her traumatic experiences.
Dr. Vasudev Paraliker, Pune’s renowned Psychiatrist says art therapy is not a cure for mental illness, rather it is one of the methods to better understand patients and help them on their road to recovery. “The famous painter Van Gogh suffered from mental illness, too. Famous Mexican artist Freida Cahlo told her stories through her paintings. It shows that everybody has a creative element within, and the tool for them to express their state of mind is art.” The cause of mental disturbances are often preceded by emotional stress and difficulty coping with conflict or adjusting to adverse events. Depression occurs among all ages and the causes include family environment, life events, biological factors, a serious loss and stress. Symptoms include talkativeness, mood changes, stress, risk-taking behavior and sleeplessness, alternating with symptoms of depression. Anxiety is one of the more common reactions to mental stress.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Bharat Sarode says art helps express feelings that are difficult to put into words, thereby releasing feelings in a safe and acceptable way, and promoting spontaneity and creativity.“When the patient draws, he is expressing his feelings through art. This process is his way of making contact with people by letting them to his inner world. Art therapy can help patients cope with their illness, and alleviates symptoms of anxiety, intrusive memories and pre-occupation.”To raise awareness on the importance of art therapy to explore intense or painful thoughts, dreams, feelings in a supportive environment Centre for Creative Healing Art Therapy is organizing Creative Art Therapy Workshop at the Centre for Biofield Sciences. MIT College, Pune.
Dr. Vikas Chothe, who is organising the workshop, says art therapy is beneficial to people who are suffering from mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and language and learning disabilities. Dr.Atul Rakshe says that Art therapy can be used to help people manage physical and emotional problems by using creative activities to express emotions. It provides a way for people to come to terms with emotional conflicts, increase self-awareness, and express unspoken and often unconscious concerns about their illness and their lives. Creative art therapy may also include dance and movement, drama, poetry, photo therapy and others, as well as the more traditional art methods.
Shaam Kodilkar, art therapist practicing since 29 years in Mumbai pointed to a painting by a child that depicts an incomplete family of duck including a big duck with two ducklings. She later named it as -Crying duck “After completing the painting she explained that there was no male father duck as he had no time to stay with the mother duck and ducklings, which made the ducklings cry.” Dr Vikas says the goals of art therapy are to encourage expressions, increase self-esteem and support network, encourage group cohesion and stronger self-identity. Art therapists are trained to recognize the nonverbal symbols and metaphors that are communicated within the creative process. Art therapy has been used with bone marrow transplant patients, people with eating disorders, emotionally impaired young people, disabled people, the chronically ill, chemically addicted individuals, sexually abused adolescents, caregivers of cancer patients, and others. (To participate in the workshop contact creativehealingarttherapy@gmail.com or 9922916025)
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy. Through the use of artistic expressions and other diagnostic procedures, doctors will be able to more accurately treat patients. Ayurvedic physician, Dr.Vikas Chothe practicing art therapy at Astha deaddiction centre says, “Sometimes disturbed people cannot tell others about their feelings and thoughts. Art therapy not only allows them to tell their stories, it is also a healing process.“Through art, doctors will be able to analyse what they have gone through, what is on their minds and recommend the appropriate treatment. Case studies have involved many areas including burn recovery in adolescents and young children, eating disorders, emotional impairment in young children, reading performance, childhood grief, and sexual abuse in adolescents”
Dr. Vaibhav Lunkad says one of his patients refused to talk about her problem. For several sessions, she remained silent and uncooperative. Realising that the normal approach was not working, he decided to give her paper and colorful crayons, and encouraged her to draw anything she wanted. She began to open up. Her sketches were dark and gloomy, reflections of her severe depression. She had been sexually and physically abused, and using her paintings, she communicated her traumatic experiences.
Dr. Vasudev Paraliker, Pune’s renowned Psychiatrist says art therapy is not a cure for mental illness, rather it is one of the methods to better understand patients and help them on their road to recovery. “The famous painter Van Gogh suffered from mental illness, too. Famous Mexican artist Freida Cahlo told her stories through her paintings. It shows that everybody has a creative element within, and the tool for them to express their state of mind is art.” The cause of mental disturbances are often preceded by emotional stress and difficulty coping with conflict or adjusting to adverse events. Depression occurs among all ages and the causes include family environment, life events, biological factors, a serious loss and stress. Symptoms include talkativeness, mood changes, stress, risk-taking behavior and sleeplessness, alternating with symptoms of depression. Anxiety is one of the more common reactions to mental stress.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Bharat Sarode says art helps express feelings that are difficult to put into words, thereby releasing feelings in a safe and acceptable way, and promoting spontaneity and creativity.“When the patient draws, he is expressing his feelings through art. This process is his way of making contact with people by letting them to his inner world. Art therapy can help patients cope with their illness, and alleviates symptoms of anxiety, intrusive memories and pre-occupation.”To raise awareness on the importance of art therapy to explore intense or painful thoughts, dreams, feelings in a supportive environment Centre for Creative Healing Art Therapy is organizing Creative Art Therapy Workshop at the Centre for Biofield Sciences. MIT College, Pune.
Dr. Vikas Chothe, who is organising the workshop, says art therapy is beneficial to people who are suffering from mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and language and learning disabilities. Dr.Atul Rakshe says that Art therapy can be used to help people manage physical and emotional problems by using creative activities to express emotions. It provides a way for people to come to terms with emotional conflicts, increase self-awareness, and express unspoken and often unconscious concerns about their illness and their lives. Creative art therapy may also include dance and movement, drama, poetry, photo therapy and others, as well as the more traditional art methods.
Shaam Kodilkar, art therapist practicing since 29 years in Mumbai pointed to a painting by a child that depicts an incomplete family of duck including a big duck with two ducklings. She later named it as -Crying duck “After completing the painting she explained that there was no male father duck as he had no time to stay with the mother duck and ducklings, which made the ducklings cry.” Dr Vikas says the goals of art therapy are to encourage expressions, increase self-esteem and support network, encourage group cohesion and stronger self-identity. Art therapists are trained to recognize the nonverbal symbols and metaphors that are communicated within the creative process. Art therapy has been used with bone marrow transplant patients, people with eating disorders, emotionally impaired young people, disabled people, the chronically ill, chemically addicted individuals, sexually abused adolescents, caregivers of cancer patients, and others. (To participate in the workshop contact creativehealingarttherapy@gmail.com or 9922916025)
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