Creative Arts Therapy - The Next Big Hit

http://artsaftercare.publishpath.com/

Anthropologists have yet to find a culture, past or present, existing without music. Music likely evolved with speech itself, making us a species with musical elements deeply ingrained within. Even older may be the origin of art, dating back a possible 100,000 years. Clearly the arts in general play a large role in culture and the development of humanity, yet many are unaware of their healing powers. Music therapy has proved itself incredibly effective in helping soldiers cope with post-traumatic stress disorder, so why has its application not been expanded to helping with the physical, mental, and emotional trauma of trafficking? Already types of creative arts therapies have been effective in treating victims of trafficking. If creative arts therapies were more widely implemented in rehabilitation programs for victims of trafficking, it would greatly improve their healing and well being.

A Cambodian aftercare center serving female victims of child commercial sexual exploitation found music and dance therapy to be effective in healing their patients, as well as engaging. They used improvisational, re-creative, compositional, and receptive methods of music experience through songwriting and lyric analysis, listening for relaxation, instrument play, and group dance. Victims of trauma, especially children, often struggle in finding the language needed to communicate their feelings and needs. Music was able to give them a new outlet, using preexisting songs to express their thoughts. Additionally, listening for relaxation helped them learn to manage their bodies and use music to find greater peace.

http://www.theart2healingproject.org

Another aftercare center in the Philippines and their patients, also victims of commercial sexual exploitation, found success in the use of art therapy as part of their rehabilitation program. Creating their own artwork helped empower the girls and women, showing them their abilities to create a product of value. The center, Arts Aftercare, created the “Healing Arts Toolkit”, a set of activities designed to help promote identity development and interpersonal relationships through art, dance, and music.

These two programs have found great success in the use of creative arts therapies in the rehabilitation of victims of trafficking, so why aren’t more facilities utilizing this and offering these services? For many, they are simply unaware that these therapeutic methods exist. All forms of creative arts therapy are relatively new; music and art therapy have only been professional fields since the 1940s, dance therapy since the 1960s. Only in the past several years have musicians, artists, dancers, and therapists realized the need for these services for victims of trafficking. With greater awareness of these therapeutic services will come the expansion of their use, helping to treat as many survivors as possible.