What this Workshop is and What it is Not

External and Internal Expressive Art Therapy Approaches

(This handout is an excerpt from Casey Cole Corbin’s book, “Create! Expressive Art Therapy for Problem Solving and Getting Past Your Past!”)

What this workshop is: Leaders of groups of any sort: ministers, social groups, clinical counselors and therapists, as well as individuals. You can first try the approaches yourself and later share them with others. The goal is becoming a more centered and whole person. Tap your own creativity to solve problems in your life. Explore your past painful emotions and memories to resolve them and move forward with your life. Get unstuck! And develop enjoyment for your own original art works.

Our culture often doesn’t support this. We have to make this happen for ourselves, and then we can teach it to others. The processes in this workshop will teach you how to get into the creative mindset. It provides three external expressive projects in detail that you can quickly perfect. This is just a small example of the endless possibilities. There will also be internal expressive projects that are meditative in nature. Mindfulness is our focus.

What this book is not: This is not comprehensive on traditional art therapy. I did not major in art nor art therapy. But I am an artist and a therapist that works in the trenches with clients daily. Its tenets even disagree with some formal non-directive art therapy approaches. This is a very practical approach developed by what produced effective results with real people.

Traditional Art Therapy appears to me to focus on either:1. Art Appreciation: emotionally reflecting on the history of and viewing of

art.

2. Non-directive expression of feelings via art.

This workshop offers neither of those! The projects are very intentional and directed.I don’t believe you have to be an artist or a therapist to benefit personally or help others benefit from this approach. This is an attempt to put these

benefits within reach of everyone.

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ― Albert Einstein

To the Counselor in a Clinical SettingSince I am a counselor, most of this resulted from my perspective of working with clients, coaching professionals, and corporate/employee workshops. The individual and the group leaders in other disciplines may have to adapt just a bit.

It can be incorporated with other subjects like:

Anger Management

Assertiveness Training

Pain Management

Anxiety

Depression

Grief/Loss

Trauma

Memory Loss

Guilt

Emotional Detachment

Abuse/Neglect

Rejection Issues

Relationship

Resentment

And more!

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I share this list below with the groups that I am working with. Whether it is a group of clients, a church group, or professionals in a training session, they all seem to get something out of understanding why art and other (external or in-ternal) expressive therapies work. I share briefly how the brain works differ-ently with creative expression and can by-pass blocks in the intellectual areas. I suggest you share these with your group:

Why counselors use Creative Art and Expressive Therapies:1. Allows us to express feelings and thoughts that are either conscious

or unconscious, which we might have difficulty communicating in just spoken words alone.

2. Utilizes and strengthens creative centers of the brain which are sometimes unused or dormant. As a result, in our brain grows and we become more intelligent in other areas too.

3. Develops creative interests to become more of a whole person: well rounded, centered, and in balance.

4. Fosters social interaction which helps the group become a therapeu-tic community. Also creates connection with other group members for more meaningful individual relationships.

5. Provides insight into feelings which can lead to remembering sup-pressed memories thereby helping to uproot core issues. Everyone in this imperfect world has “root issues.”

6. Allows us the opportunity to discover thoughts, feelings, and memo-ries that we may not be able to connect with normally or in “talk-therapy”.

7. Carries over to increased talk therapy. Once something hidden comes out it can now be expressed and talked about by their intellec-tual aspect.

8. Provides new options for coping skills for stress, grief, anger, etc.

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The Finished ProductThe art: What will it look like? What will I do with it? Some excerpts from an article that was written about my paper art style might best set the tone for what to do with your product. Appreciate it with all of its imperfections. Value it as special and therefore better than some fabricated-by-the- thousands commercial thing to take up wall space. Feel free to borrow any of it for a Press Release that supports your program or grant funding.

A New Art Trend Not Just for High Income HomesHave you heard about the trend to have moderately priced original art in homes of medium and medium-low income households? There are also several articles out on how to collect art on a tight budget. “I predict a Renaissance of the common man. Long overdue in our man-as-machine worldview. Creativity is an attribute of God.” Problem: The high costs of art materials. Solution: Recycled materials repurposed for art! Creative use of art materials is also on the increase. Tighter economy means more frugal use of expensive art mediums and even creation of new art mediums. One such example is recycling or repurposing materials for art. “Artcycle” is what Casey Corbin, Paper Sculptor, calls it. He recycles rubbish that was destined to fill trash heaps and reconsiders it for art projects. The artist/counselor says that his art parallels his professional life as a counselor. In both art and counseling he feels he is used to take Life’s discarded and turn them into something of value. In his counseling office papers are shredded to keep client’s information confidential. Think about that. Some hurting person comes into his office and tells him about their habits and hang-ups along with their history of mistakes and hurts which are eventually resolved like ashes to beauty as in Isaiah 61:3. Though it may look painted, there is no use of paint. It’s all paper. Colored papers are carefully gathered and liquefied and artfully applied to the handmade paper “canvases.” From the frame to the finishing applications almost every component is recycled. So get rid of most of the pre-fab stuff hanging on walls of most homes, businesses, clinics, churches and offices for the enjoyment of having a one-of-a-kind original hanging there instead for everyone to look at, feel, and enjoy. PLEASE SUPPORT ART!

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Give it a finished look: I really resisted this at first. I like the way art pieces look in their raw and unrefined stage. To this day the very first piece of handmade paper that I made using the paper art process is hanging in my dining room. It hangs tattered and torn on the wall with no frame, not mounted or varnished, not shiny, …not durable either because it’s falling apart! But I love it so I don’t change it. Initially I thought others would love it too, but I learned a lot when I first started entering art contests and getting shop and gallery owners to show my work. They gently advised me to get them in frames of some sort and apply a varnish so it would look finished. They were right of course. Now the pieces get several layers of polyurethane or epoxy resin. Yet my preferences show through as I like floating frames –where the piece looks like it is floating about an inch or two from the wall and you cannot see a frame, hardware or what it is mounted on. The question most people will ask is “Is this finished?” They will ask you this until you put it in a frame. (Groan.) To be honest I’ve learned to enjoy the entire process: Working with others to help them access creativity from within themselves; doing the wet, loud, messy art; and processing with them the outcomes of this doing this. I enjoy the process of creative problem solving for their internal emotional struggles, business and personal issues and self-exploration and expression, getting past their past and tapping into their potential. And even putting the art into the dreaded frame! We would love to see you or your groups art work! Please consider posting pictures of your art piece on our Facebook page: facebook.com/CreateArtTherapy

In conclusion: Accessing your creative aspect is only the beginning. Using this creativity to do the ‘inner work’ to explore and connect with your own memories and emotions will lead you to become a whole person. This means that the whole of you will be present and active and alive. Not sheltering or hiding away part of you for no one to see. Acceptance of who you are is the key. You can deeply and completely accept yourself. Doing this results in being more centered. Being center means that the real you emanates from your core. Now you can come at every situation, relationship, and task out of every aspect of who you are entirely. Coming from your real true identity is freedom! Freedom to be all of the potential that God has given you. Not bound up or only letting a little of you out. Expressing what is inside is your right …an obligation really. You can only achieve your true potential by being real.

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Being real is accomplished by taking away everything that is false. We accept lies about ourselves from our self (denial) and from others and just by living in this imperfect world. This means weeding through our every belief about our self. Like sorting laundry, it’s a process of sorting the truth from the lies. The more we no longer accept the lies as true, and the more we accept the real truth, the freer we become. Free to be creative and emotional. Particularly for guys this is sometimes not an acceptable thing in our society. I go for abundant life anyway! Life more abundant. We feel alive with our emotions, both the ones we consider good and the ones we think of as bad. But more abundant means more of them, both the good and the bad. Truth is emotions are not good or bad. There is not an evil emotion. Emotions are not rational. They don’t follow a logical linier thinking process. Emotions don’t have to have good theology or doctrine. The just are. Accepting the way we feel is the foundation for later being able to change the way we feel. Unpleasant emotions must be felt in order to be dealt with to be resolved. So many people today are Emotionally Detached. They don’t feel hardly anything anymore. They have used so much denial …for so long… that they have separated themselves (or detached) from their emotions. People deny the pain from their past because at the time they just can’t deal with it. Denial is meant to be a short-term coping mechanism in which the person goes back to the trauma, grief, or pain and gives it the time and attention that it deserves. But too much of the time we just don’t go back and do the work –the inner emotional work. Often it takes our life falling apart to be willing to change. But it doesn’t have to come to this.I tell my substance abuse clients that they think they have a substance abuse problem, but actually have a substance abuse symptom. The alcohol or drugs is a symptom of something else. Another problem entirely. Something denied. Something usually far back in their past, frequently in their childhood. This is their ‘root issue’. It surprises most people when I share that the average age of someone’s root issue when they were six years old. Something denied for a long time. Although it’s been said that time heals all wounds, it just isn’t true. Sure it may take time to heal, but just time will turn an untreated wound into an infection. Like with gangrene the problem spreads, poisoning whole systems in the body, soul and spirit of a person. So how we going to fix this? To get at the real issue we’ve got to get to what the denial is covering up -the real source of the gangrene infection. Feelings lead us to memories, memories lead us to root issues. But what if we can’t feel? We have to bypass the blocks to our emotions, perhaps by using creativity through expressive art therapy approaches. Or more internal meditative or Mindfulness approaches. Denial is usually in our more logical and analytical aspect of our mind. When we do creative exercises we bypass these denial walls and are better able to find the root issues. Exploring these

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issues through art helps us express and resolve them. Realizing that the root issues do exist helps us to accept them. Again, acceptance is key to begin the process of change. Now, enjoy the process!

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Paper Art Handout Christian Program

Pray. Think.Meditate. Feel.

Ask God to reveal to you what to deal with today. Tell God you are willing, but you need His help. Write it out (…perhaps for a final time.) Fold it up and bring it to the counselor outside. No one, including the counselor, will read it.

Hurts (how were you neglected or abused by someone):

Habits (addictions -to include more than substances):

Hang-ups (dysfunctional ways of being):

Sins:

Secrets–what you may have never told anybody. This might be a first step to get it out and later you might choose to confess it to someone that you trust:

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Paper Art Handout

Introspective Time to Think. Meditate. Feel.

What do you NEED to deal with today? This might be different then what you WANT to deal with today. Perhaps you need help from your Higher Power, the group or others. Write it out to get it out. Fold it up and bring it to the counselor outside. No one, including the counselor, will read it.

Hurts (how were you neglected or abused by someone):

Habits (addictions -to include more than substances):

Hang-ups (dysfunctional ways of being):

Immoral Decisions:

Secrets–what you may have never told anybody. This might be a first step to get it out and later you might choose to confess it to someone that you trust:

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Paper Art After-Group Handout

Paper Art Therapy Process Group

After completing the paper art exercise, please complete the following to help you discuss in process group:

1. Which part of the process was most significant to you?

[] Writing my stuff down on the paper[] Music playing in the background and contemplative atmosphere [] Putting it in the blenders and seeing it obliterated[] Pouring it out on the screen[] Throwing it out on the screen[] The communal aspect of seeing it blend with other’s stuff[] Seeing the final work, as collective hurts turn into abstract art that’s

interesting to look at[] Having bits of it on my hands and/or later washing it off[] (Or) ______________________________________________________________

2. Would you like to share something that you wrote? Perhaps something you’ve never shared before. This is an opportunity not a requirement.

3. What’s the next step?

(Hint: It will most likely be in line with the following pattern: Admit -> Confess -> Forgive -> Heal

Then add new life skills and new habit patterns and decisions.)

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About the AuthorCasey Corbin, BA, CADC-II, CCS has worked as counselor with credentials as a certified alcohol and drug counselor since 1998. He has used his advanced certification as a Certified Clinical Supervisor and assisted dozens to become counselors and therapists. He specializes in Whole Mind therapeutic approaches utilizing mindfulness, meditation, visualization, and relaxation to access the Whole Mind (both conscious and subconscious) for learning and treatment. He has certifications as a Mindfulness Instructor and Medical Meditation. He does not exclude a person’s spirit but includes their beliefs. With the client’s invitation, he readily expresses his own belief as a follower of Jesus! He works in full-time Christian ministry at Penfield Christian Homes, a 6-week substance abuse rehab. He is also active in his own private practice he founded in 2005 called Solutions Counseling Services. He is a speaker at conferences and workshops, and he somehow makes time to create and sell art through his art company called Artcycle. Casey enjoys doing exhibitions, live demos, and workshops for artists and workshops for counselors to use Expressive Art Therapy with their clients. But Casey’s greatest passion is his relationship with God and his family; wife Mary, children: CJ, Cole, Maddy, and Gus. Want more info? Casey authored the book, “Create! Expressive Art Therapy for Problem Solving and Getting Past Your Past!” Get your copy on Amazon!He also offers an audio series entitled, “Mediation for Everyone! (including Christians)” available through his website.

Want more training? Casey enjoys doing in-service training for counseling programs and workplace workshops on numerous immediately applicable topics! Feel free to contact Casey.

Want to see more of this Art? Therapy? Art therapy? caseycolecorbin.comContact Information:

Address: Casey Corbin, 15320 HWY 129, Alapaha GA 31622. Call:  229-292-4366    Email:  caseycolecorbin@gmail.com    Website: CaseyColeCorbin.com

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