Words alone may not always be enough to help heal trauma. Trauma is in the body as “speechless terror;” it is a crisis of mortality, meaning, faith and identity, and emotional stuckness. We need modalities that mobilize life energy, express and channel emotions, and strengthen individual and cross-cultural community resilience and connection. The creative and somatic arts therapies can help participants face the terror of death and rekindle life force. As Whole Person integrative approaches, they can decrease compassion fatigue and build caregiver regeneration and resilience.
This work group was formed from a core group of therapists and researchers from the US and abroad. Members include psychologists and creative arts therapists from Beijing Normal University, the International Arts + Mind Lab, Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. NATAL, The Israeli Trauma and Resiliency Center, The Trauma Recovery Center at the University of California, Lesley University, the China Institute of Psychology, the Arts Medicine program at the University of Florida, the Holistic Health department of San Francisco State University and the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya in Israel. Ongoing Projects include arts-based and written materials and training webinars to help people build resilience and creativity in the face of trauma.