FUSION April 2010

The next edition of FUSION, the publication from the Art Therapy Alliance and the International Art Therapy Organization, will be out in April 2010. If you haven’t already, check out Fusion Volume 2.

Any suggestions for topics you’d like to see discussed in the next issue’s Features Section?

Abuse Survivor Blogs

As a therapist, I think it’s important to stay connected with the struggle our clients face when coming forward about past abuse, learning ways to manage symptoms and then maintaining the ability to cope in a healthier way. Here are 3 blogs written by survivors that I find candid, honest and insightful:

  • My Moster Has a Name, includes lots of self reflection, artwork and a useful feature that i’ll call a trigger star rating system. Be sure to take a look at the Gallery page with some artwork created using digital media such as Illustrator.

  • Mind Parts offers a male sexual abuse survivor’s perspective. Don’t forget to check out the highlights section.

  • Kate 1975 is an excellent resource for anyone interested suffering from PTSD, eating disorder issues, dissociative issues, etc. Be sure to check out her recent post listing Art Therapy and Creative Healing Projects.
  • Crazy Art




    Crazy Art will be shown at the upcoming Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2010.


    Sneak Peek:

    Monday, Feb 8th 10am @ Victoria Hall Theater

    33 West Victoria Street, Santa Barbara


    Premiere:

    Wednesday, Feb 10th 5pm @ Lobero Theater

    33 East Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara

    Q+A following with Artists, Director, and panel of mental health experts.

    Arts and Science Reading

    Taken from Science Daily, here are some articles that got me thinking. Hopefully you’ll find them inspirational too.

  • 2006: A study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management found that art therapy can reduce a broad spectrum of symptoms related to pain and anxiety in cancer patients.

  • 2008: Art Therapy Useful to Treat Mental Disease

  • 2009: Drawing Enhances Verbalization In Children Of Drug-Addicts

  • January 2010: Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Program Uses Art to Engage at-Risk Kids and Identify Needs

  • 2009: 3-D Printing Hits Rock-Bottom Prices With Homemade Ceramics Mix

  • 2006: Scientists Develop Artwork That Changes To Suit Your Mood

  • 2009: Do Computers Understand Art?
  • DSM-5 Proposed Revisions

    This list of revisions is not final. See the APA DSM-5’s website for further details.

  • Structural, Cross-Cutting, & General Classification Issues for DSM-5
  • Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence
  • Delirium, Dementia, Amnestic, and Other Cognitive Disorders
  • Mental Disorders Due to a General Medical Condition Not Elsewhere Classified
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
  • Mood Disorders
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Somatoform Disorders
  • Factitious Disorders
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders
  • Eating Disorders
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Impulse-Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified
  • Adjustment Disorders
  • Personality Disorders
  • Other Conditions that May Be the Focus of Clinical Attention
  • Surgical Origami

    Origami with the da Vinci Surgical System (Robot Origami) from the Department of Telesurgery and Geomedicine, Kanazawa University, Japan. Norihiko Ishikawa, MD, PhD. The da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., NASDAQ – ISRG) is a sophisticated robotic platform designed to enable complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach. Intuitive Surgical’s mission is to bring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to the broadest possible range of patients.