Art Therapy

Spiritual abuse (SA) is a pervasive problem within Christianity. Although SA can be found alongside other forms of abuse, SA is an insidious form of abuse that assaults its victims and leaves profound emotional, psychological, and spiritual wounds. Research studies gathered in the last years have found the effects of SA to resemble those of trauma and Complex PTSD. Currently, there are very limited resources available on how to address the effects of SA and religious trauma (RT). Because trauma often resides in the preverbal and sensory parts of the brain, art therapy has been found to be a successful and appropriate treatment modality for working with trauma victims. This paper presents an art therapy curriculum designed to provide an initial treatment modality for art therapists working with victims of SA/RT.

This paper was written to broaden understanding of the pressing need for an AT curriculum to address the stabilizing phase prior to people using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to treat a diagnosis of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Complex PTSD is a separate condition from PTSD, according to the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11). Complex PTSD requires additional time in the stabilization phase of trauma treatment, before doing EMDR. Those with Complex PTSD lack skills in emotional regulation, having and maintaining relationships, and in feeling safe. These skills are required for EMDR, which is a top-tier trauma treatment with a high success rate. Art Therapy (AT) provides a bottom-up, developmentally sensitive approach to trauma, and like Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), can be used to supplement EMDR in the preparation phase to build the skills necessary for the treatment. The curriculum will include 12 sessions, each session addressing the skills of emotional regulation, relationship building and maintaining, safety, and self-esteem. There will be flexibility within the curriculum to spend more time or less time in each section, based on the individual’s needs. The curriculum is designed to make one of the first-line, evidence-based treatments, EMDR, more accessible to those with Complex PTSD.