One of my favorite art therapy publications is Deborah Elkis-Abuhoff and Morgan Gaydos’s work using clay manipulation with Parkinson’s patients. This study emphasizes the kinesthetic motor-sensory experience that exists within clay manipulation and speaks to potential connections between the use of clay and our dopamine production. Parkinson’s’ disease affects the physical movement and accelerates dopamine depletion, the publication emphasizes art therapy’s agency and place within the medical model and how art media can encourage mind-body connections (Elkis-Abuhoff, 2018). While this publication is not claiming curative properties to clay it does however highlight the importance of this medium to a population that may have limited fine and gross motor activity. Interning within a hospital setting with patients varying in physiological, psychological, cognitive, and motor capabilities clay can act to encourage sensory and motor exploration without the necessary pressure of product-making. Joshua Nan (2017) mentioned in the publication Effects of Clay Art Therapy on Adults Outpatients with Major Depressive Disorder:
“Clay art therapy (CAT) involves various processes. The somatosensory processes of CAT involving the hands are rich in haptic perception, ranging from a gentle touch on clay to the intense input of physical energy (e.g., pounding, rolling, and molding clay slumps). The visual processes guiding aesthetic judgment and the creation of personally meaningful clay products require an intense application of perceptual skills, cognitive functions (memory, decision making, and concentration)” (p. 238)
Working within an acute hospital setting I often find myself with limited time to build positive rapport within an art therapy session. I once facilitated an individual art therapy session with a patient who had physical limitations that influenced the creation of a “product” with clay. In our initial meeting clay acted as a kinesthetic and sensory warmup and introductory experience: modeling, shaping, and changing the clay as we exchanged in conversation. The client seemed curious and engaged as suggested by their active participation in clay manipulation and conversing with me as a student art therapist. I then introduced tools and structures that we could use to work with the clay, such as detailed “cutters” shaped like human figures, children, trees, houses, cars, etc. The client was able to create a family of clay figures while sharing dialogue around their lived experience and family dynamics. Sensory and kinesthetic exploration can work toward goals of prolonged engagement, mindfulness practices, and increased motor functioning. Working with a population of older adults with Neurocognitive Disorders, I can easily make connections between the strengths of clay while also keeping in mind the regressive property that naturally emerges within the progress of clay manipulation. Providing adaptive tools could better ensure success when using material as fluid and regressive as clay. The involvement of somatosensory processes holds a unique quality in clay that can illicit transformative works that can encourage a meaningful therapeutic exchange.
References
Elkis-Abuhoff, G. (2018). Medical art therapy research moves forward: A review of clay
manipulation with parkinson’s disease. Art Therapy, 35(2), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2018.1483162
Joshua, R. (2017). Effects of clay art therapy on adults outpatients with major depressive d
disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 217, 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.013