Monique Blom
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Welcome to this presentation on Self-care and expressive therapies. I am Monique Blom, the Senior Director of Communication and Engagement at the Board of Inquiry.
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The Board of Inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in Beaumaris Primary School and certain other government schools proudly acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and traditional owners and custodians of the lands, seas and waters of Australia.
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We pay our respect to Elders, past and present.
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We also acknowledge the profound history of healing approaches within Aboriginal communities that seek to address the impacts of trauma
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by embracing social, emotional, physical, cultural and spiritual dimensions of health and wellbeing.
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We recognise the remarkable strength, resilience and courage of all victim-survivors, secondary victims and communities affected by historical child sexual abuse.
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We extend our immense gratitude to everyone who shared their personal experiences and stories with us.
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I would like to introduce your host, Evan, and copresenters Stephanie and Fiona.
Evan
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Hi everyone. I'm Evan, the registered music therapist at SECASA. Today I'm going to go over some information on self-care. We're going to talk about why your self-care is important and then I'm going to give you a little bit of information about art therapy and its benefits. We'll show you a video with some tips of different ways you can use art for your wellbeing. And then I'm going to give you a little bit of information about music therapy and show you a few different ways that music can support
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the wellbeing as well, and a few different ways you can incorporate music into your everyday life. So let's start with self-care. Why is self-care important?
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Well, first thing is that it increases your coping skills to manage the impact of drama and stress. And it does this sort of by creating a sense of safety and control which can help with self-regulation. It can help you regulate and stabilise strong emotions, and can also be a really great tool for helping you to connect with the present moment in the here and now.
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Now we're going to talk a little bit about art therapy. So first of all, what is art therapy? It is an interpersonal process where a qualified art therapist helps tailor art activities and interventions that target goals related to someone’s wellbeing. So basically it's using art for goals that are related to your wellbeing. So not art-related goals, they're more health and wellbeing related goals. It's an experiential activity. It uses the creative process,
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drawing, painting, collage, textiles, clay and some other mediums to help people express themselves and aid recovery.
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You don't have to be an artist to engage in art-making activities. It's more about the process of using art to express emotions and less about the finished product. And art is something that is great because it's accessible to people of all ages, genders, and at any stage of recovery.
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So let's talk about some benefits of art.
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So one of the main ones is it is it's a non-verbal form of expression so it helps people find a voice when words are difficult. It offers another medium of expressing yourself through different other different visual forms rather than using words and language. It helps support the connection between your body and your mind and increases self-awareness as well.
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So a lot of art-making activities are very sensory using your hands, your eyes, your body. So it can really be a helpful tool to help connect with your body, and it's also a lot of research has shown that it reduces stress, can improve your health and wellbeing.
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A few tips for when using art.
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We're going to watch a video of our registered art therapist, Steph, demonstrating some art activities you can do for yourself. Now before we present the video, just a few things to note. A lot of people will have different experiences when engaging in art making. Always check in with yourself and only participate in activities that feel comfortable and safe for you.
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Know you don't have to do everything in the video. It's just going to give a few tips and a few different activities. You can try, but if it's something doesn't feel comfortable, you are the expert of your own body, your own experience, so don't engage in anything that you feel might be uncomfortable.
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And another thing to note that engaging in art by yourself is great for your wellbeing, but this is not the same as art therapy. So art therapy is when you engage with a registered art therapist who will tailor the interventions for your own goals. So these are more just some tips of ways you can use art for wellbeing, rather than art therapy.
Fiona
5:29
Hi, I’m Fiona, the team leader for Expressive Therapies, and this is Steph, our art therapist and Steph is going to demonstrate some art activities that you can use to increase your wellbeing.
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First, before we start off I just a quick note about materials when it comes to art making. If you feel a bit overwhelmed or like you need to be a bit grounded. The more resistive a material is that the easier it will be for you to be in control of it which will help you with grounding. For an example, if you have a pencil and you hold it on the paper, nothing happens.
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Yeah, so you're in full control. But even a marker, if you put it on the paper, well, there's a little mark left, less control. There's still a lot of control. So if you're struggling and you see paint, maybe try pencils. But when it comes to our activities, the first thing that we're going to do is called drawing the breath. And basically this is just an activity that gets you to connect with your breath and notice it. It's not judging. It's just noticing it and connecting it on the paper.
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As you breathe in, you draw a line up for as long as it takes, and as you breathe out, draw a line down as long as it takes.
Fiona
Alright, let's give this a go.
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That was very nice. I can see. As you can see, my breath at first was sort of quite deep. But then it just started to, I suppose, regulate itself. And it really gave me the feeling of being very calm. And I noticed that I just was totally focused on the activity and focusing on my breath. And it was fascinating seeing
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how it actually looked.
Steph
And this is something you can do for like a few minutes. Like a few seconds. A few minutes. As long as you need. So the next activity that we're going to look at is sensory mark making. And when it comes to this task, the focus is on the process. So we're not trying to create a perfect artwork. It's about the process. And I'll invite you to just collect, grab an object that you connect with. And I'll grab one
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as well.
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And this is about noticing the object and the textures and capturing that on the paper. So for me, I've got this pine cone that's got these spiky ridges. It's all in little segments. There's little nub at the top. So I might start with that nub, and draw a big thick line.
Fiona
So I'm holding in one hand, noticing the senses and then pretty much drawing what I'm feeling here.
Steph
And if you feel comfortable, you might like to close your eyes.
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If that doesn't feel right, you keep your eyes open.
Fiona
I'll try.
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No, no. I don’t feel comfortable.
Steph
Yeah. And that's totally normal.
Fiona
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That was nice. It was. I was concentrating quite heavily on what holding this little pine cone was like and feeling the spikes go into the palm of my hand. It was nice connecting with that, but at the same time focusing on what it felt like. So again, it felt made me feel mindful of what I was doing and, you know, totally absorbed in the in the task. So, yeah. And it was. Yeah, it was interesting balancing
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the sense and then the drawing. Yeah. Yeah.
Steph
And that's a really good thing about art therapy is that kind of really connect you to your body because you're doing stuff in the present. Yes. With your body. Another material we won't go into it in with activities, but some other materials that can be really helpful when it comes to being grounded is clay. I brought a couple of examples. We've got some air dried clay. So this is more like your traditional clay. Some people might not enjoy it because
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clay can get on your hands. It can be a bit messy and that's OK.
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We've also got foam clay and this is really satisfying to play with. It doesn't get messy and it can be really regulating just to play with for sure though.
Fiona
Wow. And where would all? It does feel nice And where would people find
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the clay?
Steph
You can find air dried clay, foam clay at Officeworks, K Mart.
Fiona
Sure. OK, so it's quite accessible. It's very easy to find. That's awesome. Yeah. OK
Steph
And our last task that we're going to have a look at is drawing mandalas. Sure, so you can get pre-drawn mandalas to colour in or it can be as simple as drawing a circle and filling it in with your own patterns and designs. The smaller the circle, the more containing and grounding it will be.
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The larger the circle, the more expressive.
Fiona
OK, alright, so we begin with the big circle.
Steph
Yeah, as big as you feel.
I'm feeling like I need a little bit more grounding.
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And then just fill it in in whatever way feels right to you.
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Fiona
Yes, and I can tell a difference between drawing the big circle and then the small circles. What are you noticing? The small circle gives me more sense of control and containment. And what I might do is try and experiment with the pencil, with the resistive material.
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Steph
And one of the important things about art therapy is just doing what feels right. Like it's absolutely fine to say no to any activities that don't feel right to you. Because it's all about personal choice and you're the expert of your own body.
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Fiona
And I do notice that with this resistive material as the pencil, I do have to press down further. So, yes, there is that increased sense of control too.
Well, thank you, Steph, for demonstrating these art activities. Thank you.
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Evan
OK, so now we're going to talk a little bit about what is music therapy or what is a music therapist? So you might be wondering, what do I do in my work? So basically the most common definition of a music therapist is trained allied health professional who works to help clients optimise their health and wellbeing using various types of music experiences and the relationships formed in those experiences as dynamic forces of change.
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Or another easier description is that music therapies help people using music for non-music-related goals. So a music-related goal might be maybe I'm trying to learn a piece on guitar so I can pass an exam or do a performance. Whereas a music therapy goal would be about learning a song because it's maybe singing it to yourself helps you self-regulate helps calm you down.
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So yes, using music for goals related to wellbeing. Much like art therapy.
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And let's talk about a few ways now that music can help support your wellbeing. How does it help? So the first thing is that elevates mood. Music can boost the brain's production of the happy hormones serotonin and dopamine. And we know increased dopamine production also helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression.
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Music often reduces stress, so research has found that listening to music can relieve stress by lowering cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone.
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It stimulates memories. Music is often imprinted with memories that can last our whole lives. Accessing memories of pleasant times in our lives lets us bring these emotions into the here and now,
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and music can often boost motivation. Research shows that the rhythm of music and positive associations with the song can provide stimulation, which can help motivate us to get going with exercise and the other demands of daily life.
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Now let's talk about a few ways that you can incorporate music into your daily life.
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So the first one would be to sing whenever you can.
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So remember it's for your health. It's not a performance. Doesn't matter if you're in tune.
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Singing has a tremendous amount of physical mental health benefits. And singing is more beneficial than just listening to the music because we're actually embodying the music. So it's having some real physiological changes that are mostly very regulating for our nervous system, for our emotions.
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And to take this a step further, singing with other people, if this is something that you're comfortable to do. So singing with others is great: family or friends, join a choir. Singing releases oxytocin, which is basically the hormone that helps us connect and bond with other people and feel part of a community. So the regulating effects of singing are amplified a lot when you are singing with other people. But don't worry, if you're not comfortable singing with other people there's a few alternatives: you can find a
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private place like the shower or the car. As an alternative, you might just even try humming to your favourite music instead if that's something that is easier for you. An easy way for you to use your voice,
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the next way we're going to talk about is something called rhythmic entrainment. So moving to the beat. So rhythmic entrainment is, is when we synchronise our bodies to music. It's really great for our nervous system. The predictability and consistency and flow of music help us to feel safe and able to feel
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more in control, more focused. So you might use music to listen to before or during a walk and walk in time with the beat. Or you might try even just tapping along. You might be tapping on your table, tapping on the knees, you know, get both hands going will be even more regulating. And even tapping your feet along to the music is highly regulating. A lot of people do this to self regulate. You might notice people, you see people banging on the table or
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tapping. That's because this is sort of an instinctive, self-regulating method. So if you can do this with music, it can really help calm you, send to you, feel regulated. And the best one of all is dancing. So if you can find any opportunity to dance in the lounge room and the kitchen, even if you're alone, just crank up the music. Dancing in the kitchen or with a loved one might, you know, take lessons or just dance for fun. But again, this is something to do with your health that's incredibly regulating.
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It sends a lot of signals to your nervous system that you're safe, that you're regulated and connected with other people, which is really important.
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Another way of using music is well, thinking about music, is to really let the music
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take the foreground, not in the background. So, so often when we listen to the music, we put it on while we're driving, we put it on as sort of in the background. But just maybe try what we call active musical listening, which is when we let the music be the centre of our focus in the foreground. As I said, not the background. So you might, you know, put some music on, listen to the sounds, you know, notice how many different instruments you can hear. Listen to the lyrics, see what they're saying. Let yourself be curious
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and you know, this way we were reducing our sensory input just to the one sense, just focusing on what we can hear, which again is much more regulating when we simplify all the input that we're receiving just to allowing yourself to really fully experience the music and experience those benefits. Another thing you can do to add to your music listening experience, if it's difficult to just concentrate and just listen to music, is we can try breathing in time with the music. So you can almost use
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your songs to make a type of breathing exercise or any sort of meditation a bit more enjoyable for you. And I'm going to demonstrate how you can do that now with a song.
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So what we're going to do is we're going to inhale for three beats. We're going to listen to the music, counting along with the beats. We're going to inhale for three, we're going to hold for one, and then we're going to exhale for four. And justice, repeat this in time with the music. So I'll just demonstrate this for you now.
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OK, so I'm going to count out the beats for you. Remember, we're going to go in for three, hold for one, out for four. So here we go, one, two three, Ready
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In, one, two three, hold
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Out two, three four and again in two, three, hold,
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and out two, three, four.
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OK. So the next thing we're going to talk about is basically just the way that you listen to music. And so the last tip I'll have for you is to be thoughtful about what you listen to.
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So music can have a really strong impact on our emotional and physiological state, depending on our memories and associations and different reactions to certain songs. So, you know, just listening to the radio really just leaves your emotions up to chance because songs can affect you in a huge number of different ways and you never really know what's going to happen. So being a bit more thoughtful about how you listen to music and what you put on can really impact the
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day to day emotions, how you feel. So something really important and ways of maybe taking a bit more control over what you're listening to is if you're someone who uses you know a phone or device for music, if you use Spotify or YouTube, you can make playlists and playlists are really great because one way of using a playlist is to sort your music into different moods, and we might use this diagram here to
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show you just sort of four general moods. I know emotions are a bit more complex than this, but these four different corners: you can see the green corner, which is our high arousal or high energy state when we're feeling pleasant. You might have music that you associate with this, this type of this area of emotion, this category, which might be the fun, exciting sort of
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mood of your playlist. Um, so this can be really good for, you know when you want to get going, you need a bit of motivation. You want to cheer up or if you see the yellow
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maybe you have um, some music that is fits into uh you know, peaceful, pleasant and relaxing. So this is the lower arousal but still pleasant sort of feelings. So this can be great if you need some music to calm down to.
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And then as we keep moving around the circle, we see the blue one on the bottom left. So this is the lower arousal, but sort of unpleasant sort of state. So maybe feeling sad, feeling down? You might think, well, why would I want a playlist that does that?
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Well, sometimes when we're not feeling too good, if we're quite irritated, the idea of just trying to calm down and feel positive can be not so accessible. So sometimes even just having some sad music, you can actually help us release the sadness and feel it.
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So you know, putting that on it might be just a way of coming from the top part of the circle, maybe from the red can help us calm down and is maybe a bit more accessible than something that's too positive. So it's just really slowing your nervous system down. And then the top left you have, you might think of this as the high arousal, unpleasant state. So this might be, you know, feeling angry, anxious, tense and you might think, well why would I want music that does that? Well, these feelings kind of are inevitable at some point, and they exist in our bodies.
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Sometimes just addressing that and releasing it, listening to music that mirrors our own emotions can help us release that and move past it. And likewise, maybe you're a bit down in the dumps, but cheering up is not going to help. So maybe rather than putting something on of your green playlist, you might even use the red playlist to help boost that motivation and that sort of give that feeling of coming back alive again. And and it can be quite empowering. You know that type of music,
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but no one else can decide how your music will fit into these categories. You'll be the only expert of how you associate that music. So something that I might find in the yellow you might feel is in the blue. So, you know, you have your own sense of how to use these playlists. And I think something to consider as well, if you were to use them is maybe, you know, if you're using, if you're wanting to mirror that feeling of sadness with your sad music or you're wanting to mirror that, you know, release some tension with some more
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music, loud music, that you can just do that in small doses. So maybe you just put it on a couple of songs from your blue playlist and you go, OK, we've felt that. I've let myself feel that. I'm not avoiding that emotion. I'm letting it in. And now then maybe I can move on to my yellow playlist for example.
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And if you're not someone who's going to use a playlist, you might even, you know, if you're using CD's, records, tapes, whatever way you listen to music, you might even just categorise them. On your shelf you have your albums that you associate with the different, therefore different colours, the four different categories of emotion. And when you're doing this, always just check in with yourself. So before you put music on,
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ask yourself, how do I feel right now? And you might think, well, what corner am I in?
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And then what do I need from the music? Where do I want to stay feeling like this? Do I want to change how I feel? Do I want to release this? Do I want to mirror this feeling with my playlist or my albums that, you know, match this mood? Or do I want to, you know, do I want to calm down or energise? Do I need to lift up to the top part of the circle or go down and just keep checking in when you put on music notice? How is this making me feel? Is it making me feel better, worse, or no
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and just keep checking in? Because as we know, music can affect us in quite strong ways and sometimes in unpredictable ways.
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So that is definitely something worth considering when we're listening to music as it can be very powerful.
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So thanks everyone. I've been Evan and there's been a bit of information about self-care, art therapy and music therapy. Thanks. Take care.
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