My Reliable Emotional Container. Body-Oriented Art Therapy Practice of Working with Emotions

Abstract

Extraordinary circumstances of prolonged full-scale war, traumatic experiences negatively affect the emotional regulation of Ukrainians, which we observe in therapeutic work with various client categories. The natural ability to regulate different levels of emotional states includes a certain balance between containing and expressing emotions at physical, mental, and behavioral levels. There is a justified need to access emotions and their awareness, considering the particular difficulty of these processes in individuals experiencing the negative impact of war. Emotions are considered as part of the basic functioning of a person, as messages that carry information and influence indicators of mental, physical health, and vitality. Emotions are experienced in the body, associated with somatic sensations and bodily manifestations in postures and movements. Research, accepting emotions as a natural process experienced in the body, is an essential part of therapeutic work with various emotional states, especially of a traumatic nature. The mentioned characteristics of the formation and development of a functional emotional container play a significant role in experiencing emotions. The concept of core is used, and the function of centering is considered. The relationship between containment and centering functions is reflected, affecting emotional stability. Universal variations for symbolically representing containment and centering are defined to help clients perceive them more simply and accessibly. The author’s art therapy method “My Reliable Emotional Container” is proposed for working with emotions and acquiring greater emotional resilience. Justification of the methodology stages, specifics of symbols used, and applied creative materials are provided. Descriptions of two cases of its application in working with clients who have negative consequences of traumatic experiences during war are given. The experience of researching the methodology in an educational project on working with psychological trauma is noted.