| Author created a narrative report utilizing a single-case observational study of the effectiveness of materials and activities to illuminate or answer the question: What creative activities may be effective in establishing a therapeutic environment in which a person can begin to process and heal from childhood sexual trauma? Paper and fabric collage making became a metaphor for "piecing" together the fragmented emotional state of a 25-year-old disabled Caucasian female diagnosed with Severe Mental Illness, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Bipolar Disorder, who had experienced early childhood sexual trauma. Expressive arts interventions informed by trauma resolution from a neurodevelopmental stance demonstrated the potential for effectively addressing the client's need for safety, self-soothing behaviors, and session structure. The focus of this paper was two-fold: paper collage with journaling as self-soothing strategies to strengthen ego function, and creating a therapeutic environment through collaborative fabric collage to influence and enhance the process of healing childhood sexual abuse. Additionally, the method employed by this study holds promise that expressive arts therapy interventions based on practices of Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics may be effectively adapted for treating adult trauma survivors. |
