Case Sharing: Treating Childhood Trauma
Expressive Arts Therapist: Liz Tong
Service User: Yat
When Yat previously worked in a one-person company, she experienced symptoms of depression and panic attacks, such as loss of appetite, slow reaction time, feeling extremely lonely, and believing that she was the only person left in the world. Sometimes she would be so afraid that she could hardly breathe and her heart raced. Yat recalled immigrating to a western country as an Asian child . She experienced discrimination, exclusion, and even physical attacks from her classmates. As she couldn't speak English at the time, she couldn't tell her teachers, and her parents didn't know how to handle it. Those feelings of loneliness, sadness, helplessness, depression, and fear that she experienced as a child are still affecting her now.
Connecting with imagination to heal childhood trauma
I invited Yat to choose a protector from her past to accompany her in exploring this memory. She invited a former colleague she had known for many years who had supported her through many emotional turmoil. I also reminded her that things were different back then; as an adult, she had many friends who supported her, and I was also in the room with her.
I took her back to her childhood to do something for little Yat , she imagined herself holding little Yat and comforting her.
Yat : "You're not alone, I'm here with you. It's only temporary; you'll have many friends in the future."
Yat imagines herself and her friend playing with little Yat, punishing the bullies, explaining the situation to the teacher, and asking the teacher to arrange a special English class for her and to protect her.
Drumming releases anger
She was happy when she imagined herself punishing the bullies. She said she feels like clapping her hands. So I took out a hand drum and played along. The sound reminded her of fireworks, she said it felt very liberating . She said she saw little Yat smiling and felt her chest warm up, her shoulders felt lifted and supported .
After venting, she thought about how other immigrants might have had similar experiences, and she forgot that there were also Asian children from other classes playing with her at the time. I felt that her understanding had become more comprehensive. She said she felt relieved and her loneliness had lessened considerably. I asked her to write a few words to represent this process. She wrote down a few words describing her feelings, explaining how she went from feeling lonely and sad at the beginning to feeling relieved and happy at the end .
Painting promotes reflection
She chose "happy" from the words and then drew a picture of herself and her friend holding little Yat's hand, she describe this picture as warm and cozy. She mentioned about her continuing study on Early Childhood Education, this experience has made her understand more on the child's need; for example, she would visit and comfort children who were being ostracised. I said this experience seemed to have given her the desire to care for children and the ability to understand them and respond appropriately to their needs.
Y: It has become my mission.
She naturally sitting more straight while talking about her mission. She said she understood a lot more about this experience, and felt less confused and disoriented. When she understood her own emotions, she felt less resentful and more empathetic . I also observed significant changes in Yat during these two therapy sessions. From her speech and actions, I could feel that her mind and body were both present and much more stable than before .
Summarize the meaning and internal transformation of trauma
Then I asked Yat to imagine what she would do if she worked for a one-person company now.
Yat: It’s still feel boring, but it 's not as scary as before.
I asked Yat what she does when she feels bored. She found that she enjoys talking to people, but even in a one-person company, there aremany people nearby. She realized that she could be more proactive in communicating with different people.
I reminded her that she was ostracised for appoximately two years, but she had many friends throughout the rest of her life. She realised that she has strong social skills, seems that this experience made her cherish relationships more, and has made her more proactive in developing her social skills .
Yat expressed a feeling of support in her central body. She also noticed that she enjoys interacting with different people and feels she should choose jobs that requires interacting with people. After understanding her own preferences, she feels that her career path has become clearer .
Yat: I am feeling more grounded now.
***The patient has given consent to share the therapy process.
Participant Responses
Indivdiual Expressive Arts Therapy
Service Scope
Reduce emotional distress (such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, etc.).
Treating psychological trauma
Dealing with relationship problems
Boost self-confidence/self-esteem
Managing academic/workplace stress
Promote parent-child relationship/communication
Enhance social skills
Increase self-awareness