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.
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 .
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