Haptic perception in art therapy: using clay for implicit repair of developmental deficits

Haptic perception (touching objects with our hands) is the most fundamental of human experiences. This course will teach you about haptic perception in art therapy where using the hands and touch therapy with clay can offer diagnostic insights and implicit repair of developmental deficits.

Book tickets

Date & Time

Tuesday 5 – Wednesday 6 March 2024

10am - 12.30pm

Who this event is for

Suitably qualified and trainee professionals

Tickets

Non-members: £235

Associate members: £165

Full members
Employed: £150
Underemployed: £140
Unemployed/retired: £130

Trainee members: £130

Please create a free booking account if you don't have one or are not a member.

Location

Online via Zoom

Haptic perception in art therapy: using clay for implicit repair of developmental deficits

Haptic perception (touching objects with our hands) is the most fundamental of human experiences. This course will teach you about haptic perception in art therapy where using the hands and touch therapy with clay can offer diagnostic insights and implicit repair of developmental deficits.

About haptic perception

The first year of our life is dominated by the sense of touch. Tactile contact is the first mode of communication we learn. Our earliest body memories and our core attachments were formed when we relied on sensorimotor feedback to feel safe and loved.

Love as well as violence are primarily communicated through touch. Our boundaries are invaded through inappropriate touching. Sexual experiences are overwhelmingly ruled by the sense of touch – and so are medical procedures, as well as all other events that happened to our bodies.

What you will learn

Using clay and finger paints, the course will look at the neurobiology of touch and the different memory systems that store touch experiences. It will also look at the developmental, preverbal stages of the first four years of life and how to address the sensorimotor needs of children and adults, when complex trauma has disrupted their development.

On completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Understand the different memory systems involved in art making
  • Differentiate between implicit and explicit memories
  • Acquire insights into the importance of haptic perception in the development of children
  • Understand the sensory division in the peripheral nervous system and how it can be engaged to facilitate trauma-informed interventions
  • Understand the motor division in the peripheral nervous system and how it can be engaged to facilitate trauma-informed interventions

Tutor

Cornelia Elbrecht

The course was packed full of knowledge and hands on practices which brought the theory ‘alive’. It was definitely worth the time, the money and I would highly recommend it to others.

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