Therapeutic Qualities of Clay-Work in Art Therapy and Psychotherapy: a Review
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Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 23(2) pp. 66-72 © AATA, Inc. 2006 Therapeutic Qualities of Clay-work in Art Therapy and Psychotherapy: A Review Michal Sholt, and Tami Gavron, Haifa, Israel Abstract activities. The importance of both product and process is based on the conception that an art expression is not mere- The aim of this article is to identify and define the diag- ly the final product but is also the process by which the nostic and therapeutic qualities of clay-work in contemporary product has been developed, and that both product and conceptualization (attachment theory, object relation, and process foster significant psychological processes, revealing psychoanalytic theory). Three central features of clay-work are meaningful information about the creators’ inner world highlighted: (1) procedural expression through touch, move- (Betensky, 1995; Elkisch, 1947; Wadeson, 1987). We brief- ment, and the three-dimensional aspect; (2) the reflection of ly describe the role clay played in ancient times, the sensual construction and deconstruction processes; and (3) the regres- qualities of clay-work that are exclusive to this material, and sion process. The authors differentiate six therapeutic factors some developmental issues arising from clay modeling. that emerged from a review of the literature: facilitating expression of emotions, catharsis, rich and deep expressions, Clay-work: Historical and verbal communication, revealing unconscious material, and Developmental Issues concretization and symbolization. Short case examples of ther- apeutic processes are described to illustrate these ideas. Clay products are well known in human history since prehistoric times in such forms as vases, pots, and symbolic Introduction figures, including human figures. According to Neumann (1955) the first vessels in the ancient world were made out Clay is a familiar material in art therapy and in psy- of clay, which originated from earth. Humans attributed chotherapy. Many advocate the therapeutic potential of clay significance to earth as the source of all things. The first as a tool for advancing therapeutic processes in individual man in the Bible is called Adam, apparently derived from and group therapies (e.g. Anderson, 1995; Mattes & the Hebrew word for earth, adama, the material from which Robbins, 1981). Others ascribe to clay-work diagnostic he was made. qualities in family and individual therapies (e.g. Jorstad, In addition to its functional use, for creating a variety 1965; Kwiatkowska, 1978; Keyes, 1984). However, an inte- of containing tools, clay has been used throughout history grative review regarding the therapeutic factors of clay-work by many cultures as a vehicle to express a religious dimen- is missing. Additionally, a summary of conceptualizations sion in human life. Anthropologists speculate that symbol- regarding the use of clay in art therapy and psychotherapy ic forms shaped in clay had magical and ritual meanings is needed, including delineation of its therapeutic qualities, (Raphael, 1947). Thus we find a link between symbolic and examination of its importance in applied theory. The clay products and the mental-spiritual realm of humankind purpose of this study is to provide an account of the theo- early in human history. Accordingly, clay figures, which are retical relatedness of psychodynamic and art therapy made of earth, may reflect the connection between the approaches in using clay processes to nurture integration human mental world and the material world. This connec- and healing for participants. tion is central in art therapy, an activity that uses art mate- This article first will review historical and develop- rials to represent the inner, spiritual world. mental issues of clay-work and clay products. A discussion The development of art expression, mainly in the form of the three fundamental features of clay-work (procedural of drawings, has been the focus of many studies (e.g. expressions, constructive and deconstructive processes, and Kellogg, 1969; Machover, 1953). By contrast, little atten- the regression process) will follow. Finally, the article will tion has been paid to developmental issues in working and survey the therapeutic factors of clay-work as they evolve making images in clay (Golomb & McCormick, 1995; through our literature review. Woltmann, 1993). This neglect may be due to technical By “clay-work” we mean the process of handling, difficulties in conducting research with a plastic medium manipulating, and sculpting clay, and the products of these that also becomes fragile when dry. Research on clay-work Editor’s note: Michal Sholt, MA, is a doctoral student in requires much time and effort on the part of the researcher. clinical psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel, co-author- However, several important observations may be made ing this research with Tami Gavron, MA, a Registered Art Ther- concerning this domain. apist. Correspondence concerning this article may be addressed For example, with regard to the development of three- to [email protected] or [email protected]. dimensional representation in clay, Woltmann (1993) in 66 SHOLT / GAVRON 67 his significant study describes in depth the roots of model- work, and (c) the regression process, which we divide into ing in clay. He argues that they lie in the early years in three different types according to Knafo’s (2002) concepts. human development, when infants discover the plasticity of their own feces. Woltmann also delineates the develop- Procedural Expressions through the Experience mental phases of mastering plastic materials, which he of Touch, Movement, and the Three-Dimensional terms “maturation cycles.” In this developmental process, Aspect of Clay-work. the child moves from unintentional activity with plastic materials to representations of real objects with meanings Clay-work involves an intense and powerful tactile and emotional values attached to them. experience of touching and haptic involvement. Touch was A number of important studies on developmental identified as one of the first sensory responses to develop in issues in clay-work were conducted by Golomb (1972, humans (Frank, 1957; Montagu, 1978). Tactile contact is 1974) and by Golomb and McCormick (1995). These au- actually the first mode of communication that an infant thors tested two alternative hypotheses on the development learns. For humans, the early stages of life are dominated by of three-dimensional representation in clay. The linear- oral and skin contact between infant and caregiver (Hunter graphic hypothesis specifies a sequence parallel to that of & Struve, 1998). Thus, clay-work involves a very primal drawing, from one- to two- to three-dimensional represen- mode of expression and communication. Touch in clay- tation (Arnheim, 1974; Brown, 1975), while the global- work also requires body movements in endless opportuni- modeling hypothesis predicts an early (albeit primitive) ties for touching and modeling. Thus clay-work makes pos- three dimensional conception. Golomb and McCormick’s sible an entire non-verbal language or communication for study, which included 109 children (from four to 13 years the creator, through which his or her mental realm, emo- old) and 18 college students, confirmed the second hy- tional life, and primary object relations can be expressed. pothesis. Specifically, they discovered that four-year-old We chose to use concepts from attachment and children already exhibited some basic three-dimensional object-relation theories to describe the inner processes understanding and modeled primitive three-dimensional that are relevant to clay-work. The central assumption of figures. As children mature, their clay products gradually attachment theory is that humans form close emotional become more refined and differentiated. But around the age bonds with significant others (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1979, of eight to nine years the process of differentiation in mod- & 1980), which facilitate the development of mental rep- eling generally levels off, and there is a tendency toward resentations of self and other, or “internal working mod- two-dimensional representation in modeling. Golomb and els” (Pietromonaco & Barrett, 2000). According to attach- McCormick (1995) suggest that this seeming regression in ment theory, there are two consecutive working models of the capacity to represent may be related to children’s ambi- attachment: an unconscious, fairly primitive model that tion to create figures with greater similarity to real-life mod- a person develops during the early years of life, and later els in their complexity, and that this ambition runs counter a second model, which is more sophisticated, linguistic, to the need to balance the sculptures. Hence the children and conscious. The two models operate simultaneously resort to two-dimensional work. (Bowlby, 1979): mental representations regarding self and In sum, the development of the ability for three- others develop from procedural and sensorimotor repre- dimensional representation in clay has not received enough sentations (Case, 1996; Crittenden, 1990) that have no attention; more research is needed for a better understand- linguistic coding because they were developed in the pre- ing of the phenomenon. As for use of clay in therapy, a verbal phase (Nelson, 1996). Our assumption is that non- broader grasp is needed of the sculpting process and prod- verbal modes of expression, including art, can function as ucts. Such an understanding