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Complicated Grief,
Attachment,
& Art Therapy
Theory, Treatment, and
14 Ready-to-Use Protocols
Edited by Briana MacWilliam
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
Contents
Chapter 1The Language of Grief: When There Are No Words
Chapter 2The Origins of Attachment
Briana MacWilliam and Dina Schapiro
Chapter 4The Impact of Culture and Community
Briana MacWilliam, Anne Briggs, Maya Rose Hormadaly, and Dana George Trottier
Chapter 5Concepts in Treatment
Part II. Self-Studies
Chapter 6Imaginal Dialogues: Coping with Countertransference
Marisa Zarczynski
Chapter 7Mandala Making through Crochet to Navigate Grief
Julie Day
Chapter 8The Tree of Life: A Transpersonal Heuristic Journey
Susan Leopold
Chapter 9Interpersonal Knots: An Art-Based Exploration of Tying and Untying
Juliana Thrall
Chapter 10The Memory Box
Laurel Larson
Chapter 11Phototherapy Techniques and Grief
Kateleen Foy
Chapter 12A Woman Who Dreams: The Shadow Box
Kimberly Bush
Part III. Applications
Chapter 13Vicarious Trauma: Supporting Bereavement and Self-Care Practice through Art Therapy for Healthcare Providers
Sarah Yazdian Rubin and Lauren D. Smith
Chapter 14Can You Help Me Say Goodbye?: Sibling Loss and Bereavement Support in the Healthcare Environment
Lauren D. Smith and Sarah Yazdian Rubin
Chapter 15Mask Making and Dialectical Behavior Therapy With Homeless Young Mothers
Divya Sunil Gulati
Chapter 16Art and Grief: Working with At-Risk Youth Who Have Lost a Parent
Ariel Argueso
Chapter 17The Women’s Womb: Archetypal Imagery and Grieving Lost Self-Parts
Marie Caruso-Teresi
Chapter 18Multimedia Approaches in Childhood Bereavement
Sarah Vollmann
Chapter 19Exploring Attachment and Grief through Shoe-Alteration Techniques
Kelsey Dugan
CONTRIBUTORS
SUBJECT INDEX
AUTHOR INDEX
Introduction
Briana MacWilliam
Intersections of attachment and grief
The meaning making of memories, the weaving of symbol into story: this is the work of grief. In the therapeutic practice of the art therapist, it is essential to understand the healing aspects of this process, when exploring how disturbances in attachment impact grief and loss.
Attachment is a bio–psycho–social process by which affectional bonds are formed between human beings, most critically examined through the earliest phases of development. What qualifies as a “disturbance” is further explored throughout this text, but generally speaking, when a child receives such messages as “you make me proud,” “you make me angry,” or “don’t hurt your sister’s feelings,” he realizes the power he wields over others—including his more capable adult caretakers—and this is anxiety inducing. Equally, he realizes the opposite must be true: if he can make others feel something and act accordingly, then they can make him feel something and act accordingly as well. In this way, the child falls into blame games that quickly spiral into complicated relationships, fraught with tension and unresolved issues. He then carries those loose ends into other aspects of life, compounding his “unfinished business” (James and Friedman, 2009).
Finally, when a great loss occurs, the child is put to the task of unwinding this tangled web for himself—a responsibility he must learn, perhaps, for the first time in his life. No, you cannot control the rain that ruined your picnic, or the delayed flight that cost you a promotion, or the philandering activities of your ex-boyfriend, or the abusive nature of your stepfather,
