DrT's Blog from the Health After Trauma Project

Art and Expressive Therapy Projects for the Grieving and Healing Soul--Part Two

The Legacy Box

A suggestion for creating a memorial vessel as a tribute to a lost one

By
Michaela J. Gagne

WARM-UP

Fold 4 pieces of paper into two sections and number the sections 1-8 (1&2 are on one paper, 3&4 on the next sheet, and so on).  In each of these sections create an image and/or write words to represent the following topics:

•    In Section 1 describe an activity or activities your loved one enjoyed doing with other people.
•    In Section 2 describe an activity or activities your loved one enjoyed doing individually.
•    In Section 3 describe the physical appearance of your loved one.
•    In Section 4 describe the personality characteristics of your loved one.
•    In Section 5 describe how you believe the world saw your loved one.
•    In Section 6 describe how you believe your loved one saw and felt the world.
•    In Section 7 describe the emotions you felt and memories you have of your loved one
•    In Section 8 describe the emotions your loved one felt and memories that person had with you and others.

CREATION

Boxes are often used in art therapy projects because of their many surfaces, various size and properties, and their internal vs. external structure.  Choose a box that feels it would be a good representation of you and your loved one.  You may already have a box that has a special meaning.  Lids for the box may or may not be used.  If trying to find a box that works, give consideration to the material (for example, maybe you feel that wood represents strength and growth, or maybe an athletic shoe box seems appropriate, etc.)  Choose a size that feels neither too overwhelming nor too constrained for you, and most importantly do not feel that there is a right or wrong choice to make with choosing your box.  Let yourself be creative!

Next, give yourself a wide array of art materials.  “Art materials” does not have to include traditional materials used by artists.  Your materials can include anything that inspires you (magazines, aluminum foil, photos, fabric, cotton, buttons, tissue paper, old newspaper, markers or other drawing utensils, glass or mirror pieces, trinkets, etc.)…the possibilities are endless!  Some form of adhesive will probably (but not necessarily) be needed, such as tape, glue, glue gun, etc.

Using the pieces of paper from earlier, decide on a way to represent the odd numbers (1,3,5,7) on the outside of your box (the external surface), and represent the even numbers (2,4,6,8) on the inside of your box (the internal surface).  For example, if your loved one enjoyed playing basketball with others, maybe gluing a shoelace to the outside (or keeping the box closed with a shoe lace) would be appropriate.  If your loved one particularly enjoyed outdoor activities on his or her own, maybe lacquering a leaf to the inside of the box cover might be fitting.  The inside of the box can also be a place to hold treasured items and memories, or even smaller boxes. 

Don’t feel that all of the sections need to be used, and other ideas can be added however you see fit.  The pieces of paper you filled in can simply be used as a guide when you might need a sense of direction.  You may not want to use the pieces of paper at all, and that is okay.  You can begin on the outside or the inside, and it can be a project created swiftly, one that is under constant construction, or anywhere in between.  Your box can always be changed if this feels comfortable for you, whether it be through adding, subtracting, and layering.  Feel free to share or not share the box and its contents with others.  Some people may want it kept private, others may feel the urge to let others explore the box.  Use your box however it feels appropriate to you.

Editor's note: This article is part of a handout used by the author to teach art therapy to parents who have lost a child. The remainder of the handout will be published daily over the next few days.

Know Your Body and Become “Pain-Free”!

Part 1 - How Your Body Moves

By Julie Donnelly, LMT

Using the words “pain” and “free" in the same sentence causes people to laugh since it seems to be a contradiction of terms, but it is not only possible, it’s easy to achieve. It is understood that exercising, or even just daily living, causes muscles to ache and will also put stress on joints.  When the pain begins you are told to use “RICE” (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) – but you don't have the time, or you simply don’t want to rest! So, you keep going and just as you’ve been told, it gets worse, even to the point where you may need to stop your world! You’ve also come to realize that resting (when you do decide to rest) only lasts for a short time, and then the pain returns.

RICE certainly works immediately after having a traumatic injury, but repetitive stress on your muscles requires treatment of the knots that are putting tension onto the tendons and joints.  Getting back to basic anatomy will help to unravel the misconceptions that plague both athletes and non-athletes alike.  Once you understand the logic of why you are feeling pain, you will know exactly what needs to be done to immediately release a muscle-related pain anywhere in your body. The good news is you can be a pain-free; you just need to know how to find the source of your pain and then how to effectively treat it.

This is NOT going to be a complicated lesson in Anatomy & Physiology, but I’ve found that a little knowledge of the body goes a long way. I’m going to put the proper names for the muscles and tendons into a parenthesis so you’ll be able to look them up, if you want to actually see the muscles that are causing you pain.

I always tell the clients I work with “the most challenging part is finding where the source of the pain is located, and then treating it is easy”.  This article will help you to find the source of your problem, and will also share treatments that you can do to yourself, even at home or at your office.  Let’s begin at the beginning…

The Basics - How a Joint Moves

Movement is a simple process:

1. A muscle originates on a bone.
2. It then merges into a tendon.
3. The tendon crosses over the joint to insert into another bone, one which is capable of moving.
4. When the muscle contracts it pulls on the tendon.  The tendon then pulls on the movable bone and your joint moves. 

All joints have two (or more) muscles that determine the degree and angle that the joint will move.  While one muscle is contracting, the other muscle must relax and stretch. A good example of this principle is the way the muscles of the forearm move your hand and wrist.  There are many muscles in the forearm, but they break down to two major groups: the Flexors are on the underside of your arm, and the Extensors are on the top of your forearm.  Together they give you the ability to move your fingers and bend your wrist.  They are also key muscles to the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, since the flexors pass through the carpal tunnel, you may even be diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome - but that’s a huge topic and is covered in our website: www.aboutcts.com.

When the Flexors contract, you make a fist, or bend your hand down. If the flexors are tight, your hand will be stuck in the curled position, and you are told you have “trigger finger”. When the Extensors contract, you open your hand up flat, or lift it up. Using the logic of the body, you can see that if the extensors are tight, you won’t be able to easily use your fingers, you may even be told you have “arthritis”. The bad news is that muscles can cause the symptoms of these more serious conditions – and the good news is that the problem can easily and quickly be reversed and eliminated!

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© 2003

Julie Donnelly, LMT, is the co-author of several self-treatment books including The Pain-Free Triathlete and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You. A licensed massage therapist in New York, Julie has specialized in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries since 1989.  She teaches Julstro Self-Treatment Workshops nationwide. To contact Julie, visit her website at justro.com.

Just Words

Editor's note: does the following story seem depressing to you? Be sure to read all the way to the end to find an interesting take on "words."

Just Words

By

Rachel Carrington

    I am a mistake. The knowledge was a set of cement shoes, consistently dragging me down, pressing and molding me. Because I was a mistake, I made mistakes, irreverently, without thought. I had an excuse. I was a mistake.

    I am worthless. Those words prepared me for a life without hope, shamed to living in darkness, licking my wounds in bitter silence. I strived for nothing other than the moment to moment breathing necessary to sustain existence.

    I am stupid. The lack of intellect propelled me into the world without care for what I might say or do. I could not be held accountable as I had not attained the knowledge and wisdom to offer much to this world. Though I read, the words would not increase my education. Stupidity was ingrained and could not be erased by the quotidian arrangement of alphabetical units.

    I am ugly. So I became the duckling. Eating and eating until I expanded beyond my clothes. Curled on the sofa. I was inanimate, part of the furniture. Fashion eluded me, and personal care seemed an oxymoron. I could not care for the person I was. I was ugly.

    I was not wanted. From day to day, I lived, breathed, existed, but without the power of friendship, love, warmth. How could one love the unlovable? Impossible. I condemned me. Even I didn’t want to know me because I had nothing to offer. What few qualities I possessed fell prey to the beast of denial writhing within me. I was not wanted.

    Just words. Harsh, unfeeling words which wound the heart and pierce the soul, leaving lasting scars on a young girl’s psyche. Word which bring no relief, only a suffocating flood of emotions. Fear and pain wrestle for supremacy, but in the end, the victor is a combination of the two.

    The young girl became a woman. And reality became a bitter pill. I'd forged a life of my own, but the words were imprinted on my mind, embedded in the lining of my ego. I'd lived my life based on the words, lived up to them, and never hoped to succeed. Such an accomplishment was an impossibility. How did one acquire hope when they'd never met it? Would I recognize it were it to tap me on my shoulder or take my hand? Or most importantly, would it recognize me in spite of the ugliness, the uselessness, and the stupidity?

    I am proud of you. The words surprised me, humbled me, and scared me a little. Someone was actually proud of me. In spite of my flaws or perhaps because of them. Did my insecurities create a sense of need in other individuals to build me up, to attempt to fix me? I didn’t have time to dwell. More words bumped into the pride.

    You are something special. How could someone believe a person created without worth could, instead, be something of greatness? Unfathomable. Yet, I’d heard the words as clearly as my sense of self-worth had been denounced. Was it possible, and why was I, a person who didn’t believe in possibility, even considering my worth could be established by a simple phrase?

    You are smart. Now, I was really confused. I’m special and smart. Did such a unison really exist in a mere mortal, especially someone who’d been condemned to a life of constant self-flagellation? Like King Sisyphus in Greek mythology, I’d endured constant punishments, convinced I deserved the pain of rolling my own stone. But now, I sensed a difference within me, possibly a change. But wait. I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I was still dealing with the unwanted, ugly duckling inside of me. How could I get past those…

    You are an attractive woman. What? Those stunned me, shook me to the core, and left me fumbling for the right response. I couldn’t believe me. Could I? Could the woman who’d lived her life in darkness, drowning in a sea of painful childhood memories, take one man at his word?

    I love you. The final words. Spoken with a lover’s touch. A caress. A kiss. In that moment, I was reborn. Loved. Wanted. I’d become more than just the mistreated, malfunctioning adolescent who could not see past the shadows on the wall. I’d become…whole. A woman, alive, existing outside the boundaries of impossibility.

    Just words, but they had recreated me, given me hope, but most importantly, given me life.

Thanks to Rachel Carrington for this contribution. You can learn more about this author's work by visiting her website.