Art Therapy
with Dream Images
Marilia Yokota, PhD, is an
Art Therapist and Jungian Analyst from São Paulo, Brazil, trained
at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. She has
specialized in working with unconscious processes in the treatment
of adolescents with severe depressions, blending art therapy with
more traditional Jungian approaches in her clinical practice.
Abstract
Sharing dream images in a group
setting invites unconscious participation by all the members of
the dream group, at many different levels. The question is how to
access, differentiate, and make therapeutic use of this
unconscious involvement of individuals with different backgrounds
and issues in the images of another person - each in accordance
with his or her own sensitivity.
In
the language of Family Constellations, the presentation of a dream
creates a morphogenetic field, in which all those present
participate in the material that has been presented in ways that
go beyond their conscious knowledge or control. Once again, the
question is how to make use of this phenomenon in a creative and
therapeutic way for all those involved in the process.
By way of a
particular kind of identification of essential themes awakened by
the shared dreams of all the group participants, and a specific
way of allowing different group members to participate in a
drawing/painting exercise inspired by the group sensitization of
the images - one that makes use of synchronicity to allow for the
Unconscious to manifest itself in the midst of the creative
process – the workshop will provide all those who participate with
an unexpectedly surprising experience that invariably proves to be
fun, enriching, transformative and therapeutic for all.
