Diversity in the psyche of art therapy – Mira Melaluca.

Feature image: Mira Melaluca

In theory I love art therapy. I have a background in dance, painting, psychology, and both contemplative and ceremonial spirituality, so the most natural place for me to blend these pursuits would seem to be some combination of multi-modal arts therapy. I spent my childhood vigorously creating, and all my adult years thus far investigating mind-body health through scientific research, rigorous practices and esoteric contemplation. In theory I’d make a perfect yoga teacher, even without the fact that I’m Indian and was raised amongst regular bhajans and chakra meditations… But in practice something has always felt off about the institution of art therapy. And in business nothing makes me feel as sick as instagram yoga marketing and the industry of spiritual self development marketing.

Lucky for me I have a plethora of therapeutic tools at my disposal to work through these feelings. Ironically, many of these I gathered from settings that were either culturally unsafe, insensitive or at times overtly perpetuating racism. As I sift through my art therapy toolkit I am also sifting through memories of processes where a piece of cultural history, identity or trauma emerged only to be forcefully shut down by a teacher or facilitator. Sometimes this was through a vague teaching point (eg “Yes, indigenous people believe that rocks have spirits, but really they are just gateway into the symbolic imagination”), a blatant judgement call (eg “You have an Australian accent so you were not really raised as Indian”), and a plethora of teachings on so-called universal symbols. Of course there is also the perennially popular get out of jail free card “sounds like you are triggered by something from your past which you are projecting at me”, which is one of the many reasons I’ve been unable to address cultural insensitivity in the classroom… or become a certified art therapist.

Since “anti-racism” and deconstructing cultural issues has reached unprecedented popularity in the last month, I am being asked to speak more openly about things that have been so taboo they’ve led to much financial, social and spiritual loss. As I’m being asked to illustrate some of the problems and make recommendations, the one thing I would most like you to think about is how much emotional processing I’m needing to now do to come to terms with what hasn’t been ok to say and how much support I need as I learn how to say it. When I say financial, social and spiritual loss – have a reread of the first paragraph and what it has meant for someone like me to grapple with professional integrity, “soul purpose” and institutionalised racism in an industry that I would most expect to be my ideal sanctuary.

From experience with a few organisations, the first thing people want to do is change the policy, mission statement, official documents, welcome packs or training manuals. If that’s one of your first thoughts, I’d suggest putting that piece down to sit with the issue longer. I’ve learned the hard way that changing the official documents without a significant shift in cultural awareness and protocol will create an even worse environment because of the false illusion of safety. I’d also consider that during this time of cultural upheaval, many of us (coloured people) are reliving trauma flashbacks during a time when we’re suddenly being asked for professional feedback and critique (from white people), without much emotional support during this sudden increase in attention or much deep recognition of where we’ve been. Many of us have been long ignored or pushed away as activists that are threatening to de-stabilise a precious community, rather than colleagues with extremely valuable insight (up until this month!). Rather than thinking about what is right vs wrong, culturally sensitive vs cultural appropriation, what to “say” differently or how to adapt training manuals… I’d like to offer up a creative parable –

The archetype of a typical art therapist, at least in my eyes, is a middle aged woman. She has wispy hair, curious eyes, and she wears a combination of blue, green, black and sometimes purple. She paints spirals. She is wild in imagination but contained in body and mind. She has likely been a black sheep at times and also yearns for the medicine of compassionate community. She cares deeply for her clients, and puts soul and passion into her work… But she is also, in general archetypes, a white well intentioned white woman. How could she possibly be racist?!

Like all archetypes, or stereotypes, the individual character is most empowered by and trapped in the shadows of its ideal habitat. “Art therapy” as we now know it has certainly suffers long term status issues when compared with its more prestigious male dominated cousins of psychiatry and psychology, or even the more serious status of social work. I picture modern “art therapy” as a blend of science, creativity and ritual. In the battle for legitimacy one may be more likely to play up the trauma informed neuroscience elements of sensorimotor processing than the vast library of collective unconscious symbolism, let alone likening it to the practices of witchcraft and deeply state altering ceremony. I don’t know about you, but every art therapist I’ve met knows they’re often doing deeply mysterious spiritually intensive processing under the guise of certified psychological intervention. They know that if they speak the right jargon they’re protected by law, and that a lot more than inner child’s play and relaxation is going on. Perhaps they know they’re in on a secret that’s going to be big, but do they really know how to examine the history of their habitat? Do they reflect on where their ideas came from, or what it is like when one of those elephants comes into their classroom?

Science, art, ritual – blended up in a mix that was originally for white people, by white people. I know very well that within communities of creative and spiritual practice, there is a sense of connection, healing, passion and belonging which bestows a very illuminated sense of rose coloured glasses on its devotees. Many times I have seen the art therapy classroom to be someone’s first major experience of spiritual awakening and emotional processing, combined with the potential for professional salvation. Hardly the setting for someone to be in the mood for even noticing, let alone calling out racism.

Imagine then, a personal of colour trying to find their way in this historically white clinical space. Elements of “exotic” and “ethnic” cultures have been used for generations in attempts to diversify the white psyche, through collectible art and intellectual fascinations. Imagine being a person of colour in a clinical ecosystem that fetishises the “ancient roots”, symbolism and philosophy of your culture, but won’t truly legitimise your experience in the present. Imagine that your animism and ceremony and vibrant creativity are still seen as a form of tourist destination for the white psyche that is desperate to escape its mundane mainstream. That “culture” is exploited to diversify the individual psyche, but never translated into to truly diversifying the classroom.

Imagine that you have to pay to be educated on that which was taken from your people, that which is now considered scientifically experimental child’s play and likened to the “primitive” archetypes or the “primitive” brain. Picture this happening in an educational setting which caters to “the inner child”, but it is in many ways reminiscent of your white dominant school settings. Imagine that your fellow art therapy students continue to see you, and by extension the community you serve, as “other” to the norm. Imagine that this community specialises in uncovering challenging emotions and exploring taboos, but that you consistently represent the blindspot that they absolutely refuse to touch. Imagine watching a bunch of white people trying to intellectualise “rewilding”. Imagine that they have the power and the right to say “sounds like you are triggered by something from your past which you are projecting at me”, without realising that the trauma is in the environment itself. Imagine that they are so devoted to the celebration of their industry that they don’t want to think about their similarities with religious missionaries, the culture shock of institutionalised clinical art and spirituality, or the ways non-english speaking families are susceptible to misdiagnosis by the most well intentioned art therapists. Imagine white men’s reductive diagrams of things you learned from your aunties being scribbled down as mind blowing inspiration, whilst you sit there contemplating the “flesh coloured” pastel on the table.

I have taken a leaf out of my main muse James Hillman’s book when he said that “therapy itself needs therapy”. This includes deconstructing the image AND role of the archetypal therapist, which conveniently can be done through art therapy! I have done so in many therapeutic class rooms, and continue to take those processes to the streets where they are finally more “emotionally accessible” for me – because it’s never just about the financial barriers. Along with my esteemed queer colleague Sebastian Berto, I’ve been attempting to create an archetype of punk anarchist art therapy provocateur that leads from the most vulnerable edge and only wears the colour red. Sebastian is well known for their raw dynamic interactive improvised way of being, which I have affectionately dubbed “the spirit of art therapy” itself. Together we have experimented extensively with the concept of dropping space, rather than holding space, and unlearning some of the facilitator-client and facilitator-classroom power dynamics so prevalent in emotional exploration spaces. I also devised an improvised performance art piece called Haus of Trauma where I played The World’s Greatest Therapist, alongside two scientific case studies slash back up singers called the Trauma Performers. I don’t believe this kind of work is for everyone, but it is to be taken seriously in its scope for research. I have certainly needed an intensely deconstructive grass roots satirical framework in order to protect me (mentally and professionally) as I waded through the shadows of “well intentioned” therapeutic education.

I don’t believe a series of anti-racism discussions could have helped shift culture, just as I came to realise a series of therapeutic discussions couldn’t help me shift what lay in my personal baggage. We have decided that the new archetypal spirit of art therapy wears red and is governed by Mars. It was born of a different habitat, in a troubling time of millennial snowflakes, virtual marketing, awkward share housing, entrepreneurial demands, decolonisation, zoom meetings, intergenerational reparations and the imminent death of spiritual tourism. What does art, therapy, science and ritual look like in a world of systemic collapse? What does art therapy look like when it addresses political issue in its process? When psychodrama is directed by those of us with brown skin? Ferocious, wispy haired, curious eyed… Wild in imagination, deep in body, yearning for the medicine of compassionate community… Maybe you can help deconstruct the story, and maybe you can truly make emotional and professional space for ALL of us who carry it deep in our blood.

Mira Melaluca aka Hashtague Moon is an astrologer, spiral practitioner, interdisciplinary artist, satirical culture critic, reclaiming witch, dramaturge and emerging cross cultural branding consultant. She is based between Canberra and Melbourne, with family in Mumbai and Delhi. You get in touch with her and read the back catalogues of her writing on facebook, or connect with @hashtague.moon.xoxo on Instagram

If you’re a person of colour and would like some support with this material, please get in touch. Likewise if you’ve got first hand experience to share or part of an organisation seeking change – Mira.