What Do You See? [Art Therapy Podcast]
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by well-known Trauma Therapist podcaster Guy Macpherson. You can listen to the podcast below.
For the video version, please see Art Therapy Videos.
Art Therapy Podcast Summary
The podcast starts with my personal story, as Guy is always interested in how his interviewees got into trauma work. The personal story goes from my experiences living next to a slum in South America at the age of 11, to doing respite care for abused and neglected children at the age of 16, to studying theology and moving to Australia from Germany. Of course, it also looks at my journey of becoming an art therapist and art therapy lecturer, which was strongly influenced by my mother, a Freudian psychoanalyst.
In the interview, I showcase the ‘Jungian Self Box’ in great detail as an example of how to work with trauma in art therapy. I use it differently to Jung, focusing mainly on the trauma that often ‘sits’ inside of the box.
We also look at the difference between ‘art as therapy’ and ‘art in therapy’, and how this becomes critical in trauma work. This difference becomes apparent when the art therapist asks, “What do you see?”
‘Art in therapy’ is about the unconscious material becoming conscious and facilitating integration and processing of the trauma. As unconscious material always gets projected into an artwork, it becomes visible to the therapist and client. The key is not to interpret, but to ask the client to look.
Enjoyed that?
Please feel free to view our art therapy course overview page to see all that we offer at the College of Educational and Clinical Art Therapy.
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Robert Gray
Director and Senior Lecturer at CECATRegistered Art Therapist and Psychologist
MA A. Th., AThR; B. Soc. Sc. (Psych.) (Hons.), MAPS.; BA. Theol. (Hons), MA Theol.
A highly regarded art therapy lecturer from Germany, Robert Gray has become a much sought-after art therapy lecturer and practising art therapist in Australia. His unique approach spanning psychodynamic, humanistic, spiritual and cognitive behavioural frameworks has distinguished him as a thought leader who is frequently invited to present at conferences in Australia and abroad.
Trained overseas and multilingual, German-born Robert shares the benefits of his international affiliations and access to cutting-edge research published in various languages with his students and readers. Robert is a professional member of the Australian and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association (ANZATA) and the Australian Psychological Society (APS).
