Autobiography Of Red Geryon Analysis

Biography of Redemption - Killing Geryon's Monsters With Art Therapy.

Childhood trauma is a complex issue with long lasting effects on the abused if left untreated. Art therapy is a technique that allows the abused to communicate their thoughts, emotions and experiences through non-verbal means (Malchiodi, 2011). In Autobiography of Red, we see the effects of abuse and neglect on Geryon throughout his life as he struggles with his self identity and self worth. The goal of this paper is to analyze the extent of Geryon's abuse, to demonstrate the effectiveness of art therapy, and to devise a therapeutic framework to aid in Geryon's healing process. Healing through visual art mediums such as drawing and painting would likely give Geryon

Monsters are a recurring theme with abused children. Often children create monsters to describe those who abuse them, but they also identify as monsters, ugly and undesirable creatures that reflect their feelings of being unwanted or outsiders to society (Malchiodi, 2013). These feelings of being a monster could also be attributed to dissociation, or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Previously referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder, DID is defined in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as, "Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states, which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession" and, "The disruption of marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning." These symptoms can be described by the patient or by an external observer. Dissociation is also listed as a key domain on the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, and is described as the patient's feelings of not being in their own body, or feeling like they are someone else. (Briere,

Through understanding how Geryon's trauma affects him, and why he experiences certain emotions, he will likely be able to improve his self worth and ability to express himself verbally. These two outcomes will be key in shattering his self perception as an outsider and as a monster. Consistent with the research performed on recipients of art therapy, his dissociative personality traits and verbal communication issues should see a marked improvement with adequate therapeutic intervention.

References:

Briere, John N. Trauma symptom checklist for children: professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR), 1996. Print.

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th Ed). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. Print.

English, Diana J. "The Extent and Consequences of Child Maltreatment." The Future of Children 8.1 (Spring, 1998): 39. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

Malchiodi, Cathy A. Ed. Handbook of Art Therapy. Second Edition. 2nd ed. New York: The Guilford Press, 2011. Print.

Malchiodi, Cathy A. "Art Therapy, Children and Interpersonal Violence." Psychology Today. N.p., 13 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Mar. 2017. .

Murphy, Jenny. "Art therapy with sexually abused children and young people." Inscape 3.1 (1998): 10-16. Web. 8 Mar. 2017.

Pifalo, Terry. "Art Therapy with Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents: Extended Research Study." Art Therapy 23.4 (2006): 181-85. Web. 11 Mar.