I began the paper making process by collecting scrap paper that had meaning for me, in which I chose hospital bills and discharge papers from my traumatic birth experience. I tore them by hand, a very kinesthetic experience which was very soothing for me. I put the paper and dryer lint in zip lock bags, filled with water and soaked them for two days before putting them in a blender. This process became very sensory when I had to use my hands to squeeze the water out of the pulp. The touching of the pulp with my bare hands was not bothersome for me but I can see how it might be for others. I placed the pulp onto a baking sheet that was covered with wax paper and covered it with a towel in which I applied firm pressure to soak up the excess water. I randomly added food coloring and flower petals to my wet tray of paper pulp and laid the material out to dry for two-three days.
I’ve chosen adults with trauma and stressor related disorders due to the transformative nature of the paper making process and the therapeutic value of this process. The process and final product of the paper can serve as a metaphor for one’s journey of experiencing the trauma, living with it, receiving help and hopefully coming out of treatment feeling transformed or at least different than when they first began. I began with content that existed as something that was associated with pain and anger (hospital bills and discharge papers) and manipulated the material, transforming it into something new that told a story. One thing I did not do with my paper, mostly due to its thickness, was use the paper how paper might be used and feel like this could add another dimension to this process. People with trauma could make a journal out of their paper, adding another layer of visibility to their traumatic experience(s). They could simply write a letter to their old selves, before the trauma occurred. There are many opportunities for self-discovery during the paper making process. One thing to consider would be the high level of emotions that might stem from this process. Further, individuals living with trauma related disorders tend to primarily rely on their right hemisphere thus adding the left hemisphere component of analytical thinking by writing which would be beneficial for them, creating balance between the two hemispheres.
In thinking about the Expressive Therapy Continuum (ETC) there is a lot to unload. This process for me allowed me to move through all the levels of the ETC, to the Creative level of the ETC. The Creative level “can represent the integration of functioning from all levels” (Hinz, 2009 p. 5). Tearing the paper was somewhat rhythmic and tactile after I had been doing it for a while and was itself therapeutic serving as a kinesthetic experience. The squeezing of the pulp after it had been in the blender was a sensory experience. The meaning of the paper allowed me to move from the cognitive to the symbolic and by adding color to the paper and random objects was affective while the paper making had a perceptual component when I began to neatly form the paper onto the baking sheet. I feel this activity allowed me to move through to the fourth level of the ETC and to the Creative level but understand it might not be this way for others. I can understand if individuals are sensitive to touching the pulp with their bare hands and various options can be provided to avoid this if need be.
Hinz, L. D. (2019). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for using art in therapy. New York, NY. Routledge.
