Using clay in therapy taps into the most fundamental of human
experiences - touch. This book is a comprehensive step-by-step training
manual that covers all aspects of 'Work at the Clay Field', a
sensorimotor-based art therapy technique.
The book discusses the setting and processes of the approach, provides
an overview of the core stages of Gestalt Formation and the Nine
Situations model within this context, and demonstrates how this unique
focus on the sense of touch and the movement of the hands is
particularly effective for trauma healing in adults and children. The
intense tactile experience of working with clay allows the therapist to
work through early attachment issues, developmental setbacks and
traumatic events with the client in a primarily nonverbal way using a
body-focused approach. The kinaesthetic motor action of the hands
combined with sensory perception can lead to a profound sense of
resolution with lasting therapeutic benefits.
With photographs and informative case studies throughout, this book will
be a valuable resource for art therapists and mental health
professionals, and will also be of interest to complementary therapists
and bodyworkers.