Doll making therapy
The spiritual and therapeutic value of doll making lead to me to create a workshop called “Medicine Man/Woman.” Designed for children who are dealing with trauma and loss, the idea is to make an embodiment of healing. I teach the kids about the shamans of different cultures, the symbolism used by different cultures, and then encourage them to create their own Medicine Man/Woman. We talk about creating our own personal symbolism and express it by creating talismans that we attach to our Medicine Man/Woman. Kids learn how to build a 14” tall wire armature and they create a face, hands, feet and talismans with polymer clay. For clothes, they use a yarn wrapping technique that I developed for the project.
The Medicine Man/Woman workshops are nonprofit, and grant funded, thus required to run for only 6 – 8 weeks and meeting for only 2 hours a week. I had to come up with a way to reach out to people struggling with overwhelmingly difficult situations in a short span of time and wanted to leave them with something substantial while not opening them up too much, leaving them vulnerable and raw. I knew I would have kids from all walks of life, many who had negative perceptions of counseling and social services. I had to create something meaningful, fun and nonthreatening and I was nervous. I felt very insecure the first time I ran the Medicine Man/Woman workshop, especially about how the males would respond to creating what was essentially a doll.
Surprisingly, even the boys are responsive to creating a Medicine Man/Woman and take the project to heart—these kids haven't responded to other therapies and engage in many self destructive behaviors. At first I expected a cold reception, but I find as they make their Medicine Men/Women, the kids talk about their difficulties with coping. For many, it is the first time they have discussed what happened to them and it is an important opportunity for them to share with others who have experienced the same things. The image illustrating this post is the doll I made to use as an example for the kids in the Medicine Man/Woman workshop.
My Medicine Man/Woman workshop has been many places, including a hospitals, day programs, support groups and school settings. Dolls from children in my workshop in Newark Hospital in New Jersey have not only been shown in the hospital gallery, but were also part of a touring exhibit. Since my move to Chesapeake, VA , I have run the workshops in Portlock Galleries and the gallery also gave the kid's a show which received press in the paper. The press was very validating s
I am always surprised that the kids respond to the workshops because they have been through so much and are often so jaded. Many of the kids consider their medicine people sacred and private, and I respect their feelings and cannot show photos of their creations. However, I can share some of their photos and what they had to say. I want to share some of the powerful things the kids shared with me. I ask for titles, and I have included these titles, along with the kids ages and their struggles. To respect their privacy and safety, I am using initials:
J “Alpha” (10 years old, terminal lymphoma): “I am dying. My mother and father will not talk about it and I can't let them know that I know. Alfy (medicine man) is someone I can tell anything. Someone who is ok to hear that I am afraid, but I am ready.”
E “Evergreen” (9 years old, recovering from leukemia): “Evergreens are always green. That means they are always healthy and growing. He will help me to never be sick again. I will be evergreen.”
D “Damien” (14 years old, recovering from leukemia) “That's a dark name, I know it is. But he has been in a dark place and he is the only one who has been in the same dark place that I have been. My parents were going to name me Damien, but I guess they changed their minds”.
C “Grandma” (12 years old): “My Medicine Woman is my grandmother. She died two years ago and I miss her. I could talk to her. My parents died in a car accident before Christmas and I can talk to her about it. Other people don't like to hear about it or they want to hear more that I want to say.”
A “Destiny” (10 years old; father murdered her mother, now in foster care): “Her name is Destiny. Just like Destiny (pop singer) she is talented and she makes me want to sing. I used to love to sing, but I haven't in a long time. It is time for me to start to sing. She is waiting with open arm for me to sing again.”
S “Lost Love” (13 years old; father and mother murdered in car jacking 2 months previous to workshop): “She is a lost soul too, but she has a direction to go in. Maybe she can show me.”
M “Unknown” (12 years old, sister of S) “He is mysterious. I don't know if he can help me, but he might try. Its nice for him to try.”
A “Beatrice” (12 years old, mother abandoned, now if foster care). “She loves me no matter what I do. Her arms open only for me. I have a place with her”.
L “Tagged” (16 years old, in juvenile detention). “I used to tag everything. But that's not why I got busted. He is my ultimate tag. He is me in 20 years, back from the future to guide me. I want to do better things and he stands for the better things I can do.”
T “Only Friend” (17 years old, executed both grandmother and grandfather-both suspected pedophiles-, in juvenile detention awaiting adult sentencing). “I am never getting out of here. Everyone here is afraid of me, but they don't know what happened to me. I didn't want to do what I did. I have no friends here. Nowhere anywhere. I can't keep myself safe and I can't keep other people safe from me”.
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/07/healing-power-medicine-dolls
The healing power of medicine dolls
