Lectures
Lectures are a great way to get up-to-date on topics that are relevant to you in a short period of time.
You can follow them online at a time that suits you, possibly together with your colleagues or other people. The lectures last 2 hours and there is always an interactive part where you can ask questions. I regularly make new lectures, which you can see here.
If your topic of interest is not listed here, please feel free to contact me.
The working mechanisms of creative arts therapies with trauma and stress from a neuroscientific perspective
We all know that body and mind are connected. But what about trauma and stress-related complaints? What role do the limbic system and the autonomic nervous system play in the development and persistence of physical and psychological complaints, and what can the arts therapies mean in this regard? Recent neuroscientific research answers these questions. The 'Polyvagal theory' of Stephen Porges contributes to a better understanding of trauma and stress-related complaints, offers professional therapists wonderful tools for understanding the experiential and action-oriented effect of arts therapies on the autonomic nervous system in relation to trauma and stress, and determining appropriate treatment interventions.
Analogue Processes in Art Therapy
The analogous process, originally developed by Dr. Henk Smeijsters, is a theoretical model based on parallels between design processes in the arts and processes that drive behavior. These processes are largely "unconscious", on a "non-cognitive" level. We can now further substantiate this theoretical model with findings from neuropsychological research. For example, we know that (neuropsychological) processes that are activated during design in the arts are analogous to the processes that control (daily) functioning. We also know that these processes can be influenced mainly through experiences. By gaining targeted experiences during the shaping process, the functioning in situations outside the therapy is influenced. Let art therapists be very good at that.
Creative perspectives
Are you an art teacher? And are you increasingly coming into contact with students with challenging behaviour? Then this lecture is interesting for you. Insights from art therapy are translated into art education. It gives you ideas and guidelines on how you can continue to stimulate the art-making.