هنر درمانی بیانی: دعوت به گفتگو

Pergamon The Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 24, No. 4, 3 19-32 I, 1997 pp. Copyright 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0197-4556/97 $17.00 + .OO PI1 SO197-4556(97)00039-7 EXPRESSIVE ART THERAPY: A CALL FOR DIALOGUE AVI GOREN-BAR, PhD” As in the “Chase circle,” where members of the group take their turn and move about expressing themselves physically, I feel it is my turn now to respond to Levine’s response to Kaplan’s response to Knill, Barba and Fuchs’ book, Minstrels of Soul: In- termodal Expressive Therapy (1995). C. G. Jung stated that if a reaction is characterized by extreme affection, it surely touched a complex. By “complex” Jung meant a collection of images and ideas clustered round a core derived from one or more archetypes and characterized by a common emotional tone (Samuels, 1986). Levine (1996), the author of Poiesis, whose book, I agree, was evaluated by Gladding (1994) as “a powerful and important text,” finds himself in strong opposition with Kaplan’s book review of Knill et al.‘s Minstrels of Soul. Why are we, expressive therapists, protective and vulnerable when expected to explain our belief in the “unity of the senses” or when required to justify the benefits in applying intermodal expressivity into therapy. Why does it touch our complexes? I have found Kaplan’s review academically decent. I think Knill et al.‘s book is an important literary work in the pioneering sense. It originates and helps us open up the new line of thoughts about intermodal expressive therapy. It presents the field and its complexity. However, in my opinion, there are three deficient aspects in the book. Firstly is the attempt to cover phi- losophy and practice in a very concise manner, a way that requires from the reader permanent deciphering. Secondly, and regrettably, I did not find in the book any serious reference to clinical work. I wish the book had included clinical case studies to demonstrate the application of the many wonderful ideas it con- veys. Why and when should an expressive therapist consider an “intermodal transfer” during a therapeu- tic session and which pathology can benefit from in- termodal expressivity? We all read many articles describing case studies in the art, music, movement and drama therapies. These articles always display clinical considerations and illuminate the modality’s contribution to the cli- ent’s limitations. McNiff’s books, even his recent one (1992), cope with personal “demonstrations” so that the reader may get a practical impression of the ideas unfolded and judge them. Thirdly, the book lacks research work attached to the ideas it raises. In part two of Knill et al.‘s book there is a statement: “Research has shown that these techniques serve to deepen or extend expression, in- tensify or amplify group involvement or individua- tion, and offer less threatening modes for finding words beyond those habitually used in conversation” (p. 39). However, the book does not present any re- search in the field of expressive therapy to support these conclusions. Chapter five brings “some thoughts on research.” Once again a defensive atti- tude is presented: “as long as they (the researches) are not written in a reductionist, medical or psychological jargon” (p. 161). We can not establish a firm basis to expressive therapy by preaching for a new religion. We must present our ideas, techniques and practice in an applicable manner, with an emphasis on proof and research. Doubts and questions accompany all fresh footprints on a new road. Psychology had long ago applied phenomenologi- *Avi Goren-Bar, a tenured track instructor in the Expressive Therapy Program at the Faculty of Education, Haifa University, Israel, is also a lecturer at Lesley College Israel and Director of the Lesley College Expressive Therapy Clinic for Children, Adolescents and Families, Netanya, Israel. 319