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Patient's Art
4
See below for
examples of artwork by this patient.
Please note
that the last work is in the medium of coloured (plasticine) clay.
A new technique has been devised for this challenged patient
who has the use of one hand only, with which he rolls the cylinders
of clay. This technique is called 'picture-forming'.
The process (carried through on a glass frame), is directed
and assisted by the therapist.
Note the use of
white for contrast in the case of this sight-impaired, colour blind
patient
EXPLORING
THE WORD IN COLOUR AND SPEECH
Progress
Report from 25 Nov. 2005 to 11 Nov. 2006.
Therapist-Katherine
Rudolph
Patient-A
challenged patient (age 43)
Acquired
Head Injury (at age 26+).
A.
IMPULSE FOR THE RECREATIVE ACTIVITY :
Having known
this patient since 1992, when he had his initial treatments, I was
amazed at his progress and transformation since that time. He
has redeveloped a sense of self which can now express: "This
is good for me", instead of: "This is good for Sam" (as he
would have articulated in 1992).
Sam was able to
adjust, almost immediately, when we began this therapy anew.
Only once at the beginning, did he have a problem beginning the
session (due to his request for a cigarette). The nursing
staff has been supportive and cooperative with my efforts, for
which I am thankful.
Sam is entirely
open to the theme of creation and is particularly enthusiastic
about the "Madonna and Child", fashioned from the coloured
plasticine clay which he has rolled into long cylinders of the same
size. This new technique was developed for Sam and will be
described later on.
Work with
self-made puppets was carried on for the first few months, as
adjunct to the "Speech Word Games"; these arose primarily out of
the Nativity scene, the stable of which is still standing (awaiting
the Christmas to come).
Sam appreciates
dialogue greatly; but in order to work with his disposition, one
has to orient to his own viewpoint and work the therapeutic
elements into it - the point of departure is where he already is
"at home". For that reason, the "Speech Games" have come
about (which will also be described later in this report). Sam is
very interested in numbers, music, and languages. His
interests are the touchstones for his therapy.
B.
FLOW OF BREATH IN COLOUR AND ARTICULATION
The flowing
colour helps Sam to experience merging and contrasting
elements. This has a relationship to breathing. It is
similar to the balance and well being experienced when looking at a
rainbow. Water colour flows quite naturally, facilitating the
process. Sam does not see all the colours. It is likely
that he has "tunnel vision" as well. His temperament holds to
the centre of the painting. Indeed he is the centre of his
own world. I assist him to breathe into the
periphery.
It is a similar
situation with Sam's breathing process in articulation and flow of
speech. The in-breath is stronger than the out-breath.
This is sometimes worsened by dyspepsia, which he is however able
to control. Ordinarily, speaking from the diaphragm and
throwing the ball "on the breath" (at the time of the outbreath) is
the ideal way to augment his flow of breath. At the same
time, continued work of this sort at the appropriate time, can
stimulate healthy peristaltic action. It promotes assertiveness,
and gets rid of aggression.
Certain
sequences of consonants, such as : K,L,S,F,M and G,D,SH,V,B etc.
direct the speech outwards from the palate to the teeth and
lips. Word games, such as the first consonant of the second
word being the same as the last consonant of the first word: "room
- move", can gradually make the last sounds of the words in Sam's
speech stronger.
The singing
which Sam often naturally gives voice to is also a great help to
releasing pent-up energy.
C.
BALANCE OF VOWELS
Sam's
personality is expansive and tends to emphasize the "ah", "I", and
"oh" vowels in which the larynx expands. The "ee", "a", and
"uu" polarity is less evident in his character. He enjoys
these contractive vowels as well, which also help him to contract
his consciousness. The English "I" (as in "I am") is actually
the combination of "ah-a-ee". Words beginning with this sound
tend to be mistaken for words beginning with "ah". This could
easily happen to anyone whose native language is not
English.
D.
BALANCE OF CONSONANTS
LIPS: M B P F V
W. Sam continually mistakes "P" for "B". Although he
can articulate "P", he cannot yet consciously put it into a
sentence. "W" is sometimes misheard as "U".
TEETH: TH S Z R
SH CH. Sam can differentiate all of these, but he has to
consciously listen to "S" and "SH". The "Z" sound has to be
brought to consciousness as well. "TH" and "F" are sometimes
confused.
Palate: Y G K H
: Sam pronounces "Y" for "U", at times.
Similar to
seeing , Sam's sense of hearing seems to fluctuate, depending on
his mental alertness. He is more aural than visual. Sam
has a vibrant, warm, palatal tone in his speech as well as in his
singing. He is sometimes able to accompany himself on the
lyre which I have given him. (The following day, however, he
may not remember the intricate fingering which came to him.)
Pentatonic tuning of the lyre corresponds to many songs which he
knows. Other western tuning is not familiar to him at this
time.
Sam has managed
to acquire increased consciousness and manual proficiency for the
work we do together. There is no reason why this
transformation might not feasibly extend to changes in his
articulation (with patient repetition), as well as to an extension
of his vocabulary.
Work with
puppets facilitated his interest in the "Word Games" in the
beginning months. Now he is always eager to begin that part
of the session.
E.
COURSE OF THERAPY
The therapy is
designed to benefit Sam's well-being. It has been
successful. The secondary attribute, of improving his
articulation and manual dexterity, has also begun to show
progress.
Sam's attention
span must be engaged. He speaks almost constantly. This
activity centres him and gives him a sense of self. He is
repetitive in his utterances, which often express his feeling
nature: love of family, celebration of birth, and especially of the
Christmas Festival.
One must
understand that Sam has undergone a kind of rebirth experience
himself. Since his injury; he has arisen out of tragedy to
confront life with joy. This factor is always acknowledged in
activities such as counting the days until Christmas, celebrating
his birthday, and making a Nativity scene for him, etc. Sam
is very sensitive to feeling. He needs to be answered, and
treated with respect, encouragement, and positive
approaches.
The clay
rolling to make vessels and crosses has been extended into a
coloured plasticine picture forming. Sam rolls the clay in
strips. He has the use of one hand only; and I assist him in
forming it into the picture. The result can be seen in the
forthcoming CD of his work which I will contribute to his
process. On the CD, the penmanship exercises can also be
viewed. This attests to his sense of form. Songs and
religious litanies are recorded in Vietnamese. Numbers in
Vietnamese, Japanese, French and English are part of the spoken
therapy.
Since Sam is a
"player" of sorts, it corresponds to his being to have the
companion paintings, which have so often evolved since the
beginning of the therapy. The page is coloured in two
colours. He paints on one side and I on the other, then we
reverse the process. It is like the dialogue which is
inevitably going on verbally at the same time that we are
painting. Many companion paintings are pictured in the
following examples.
F.
Prognosis
I believe that
this therapy should be continued in the next six to twelve
months. The forming process in the coloured plasticine clay
picture, which Sam can clearly see, the music, and the speech are
of special benefit to his health and well being. I would plan
on doing more of the plasticine clay work and more
speech. I would like to see if Sam can make a conscious
attempt for better articulation. He enjoys this now and can
differentiate more than before. The painting can be continued
, with approximately two painting per session. Cards and
prints can be made of his work, to send to friends and
relatives. In this way, Sam can enter more into social
life.
Katherine
Rudolph
Exploring the
Word in Colour and Speech
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