Gabriella Boniotti PTSTA-P
Field of audience: P

Language: Italian with English translation
Level of audience: All

This workshop is aimed to experiment and reflect with the participants on how the creative experience in psychotherapy can facilitate the development of the patient’s identity by stimulating their Autonomy and enabling them to integrate parts of themselves in a multicultural and constantly changing society. The use of artistic materials (clay, sand, watercolours, etc.) is considered a cross-cultural modality and an activity that is only partly mediated by language and by a specific culture.

Within the therapeutic relationship, the creative experience encourages the attainment of Autonomy (Berne, 1967; 1986): Firstly, because the use of artistic materials encourages the individual to express themselves spontaneously, allowing an experience free from judgement and from the control by any logical and formal thoughts. Furthermore, artistic experience can be considered as a form of “play”, which Cornell (2015) mentions with reference to the time structuring, and providing a bridge that allows the experience of intimacy. Finally, it can facilitate access to the awareness of one’s own experiences, because it allows to move from a sub-symbolic experience, to a non-verbal symbolic experience to a verbal symbolic experience (W. Bucci, 2022).

The participants to this workshop will be invited to use art materials in order to experience the three levels of creative experience according to the manners proposed by Della Cagnoletta (2010), (“bodily concentration”, “formal resolution” and “symbolic narration”) and to make connections with Transactional Analysis. Particular attention will be paid to the Protection of the participants.

Wilma Bucci’s, William Cornell’s, Jo Stuthridge’s and Mimma Della Cagnoletta’s ideas, thoughts and works will accompany the workshop.