What is Phototherapy?
According to commentary on articles arising from the 2008 international conference in Finland, Phototherapy is “using photos and photography as a component of psychotherapy or therapy practice with clients.” The images used within the phototherapy itself do not need to be the clients; they can be found images meaning they are from an anonymous source. This can make the client more comfortable at the beginning to be more open about their reflections. That being said, the photographs used can be ones the client themselves have taken, like a visual diary of events. Using personal photos can offer the therapist a more personal insight into feelings and thoughts of their client. This practice of using visual diaries tends to be beneficial for young people and marginalized groups, especially in regards to their sense of identity and community. Lastly, Family albums can be used to explore family relationships and dynamics. They tend to be a source of rich autobiographical storytelling.
Inhabiting the image. (2013). In D. Loewenthal (Ed.), Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography in a Digital Age (pp. 69,70). New York, NY: Routledge.
“How someone responds to a particular image at a particular time might provide clues to their unconscious. Using photographs as both a conduit and a catalyst for communication, a therapist, using a nonjudgmental approach with skillful listening and open-ended questions, can enable the client to articulate, make conscious and then reflect upon his/her ways of viewing the world and value systems.”[1]
The following will be information about each of the phototherapy techniques used within phototherapy. There are five techniques, the projective process, self-portraits, photographs of the client taken by other people, photos collected by the client and photo systems such as family albums.
The projective process is our emotional response to photographs that comes from within us and is projected unto the image itself. This happens with all visual images we see, including photographs we take, photos that are taken of us and even random photos we see in magazines. There is no wrong answer when using the projective process, as this is a technique that is used to build confidences and explore the inner influences that we have. The projective process of phototherapy is beneficial when working with marginalized groups, specifically when dealing with invisible issues and evolving individual identities that might not fit within the larger family and community contexts.
The act of working with self-portraits can be a powerful motivator because the client is in control of how they see themselves. When you take a self-portrait, you are in control of how you style, pose and light yourself. All of a sudden you start to think about yourself, what you like, what you want to change without any outside interference because you get to choose if the outside world gets to see these self-portraits. Self-portraits also allow us to critique ourselves more easily than confronting potential problems without having a visual connection. Working with self-portraits can be especially beneficial for women and people who have been marginalized with restrictions against them from an outside source.
When viewing photos of ourselves taken by another person, it allows us to see how that person views us. Whether the photo is a posed or a candid photograph, the photo will still act as a gateway to seeing an outside view of ourselves. It can even let people know how the world views them, and if those views align with the self-portraits.
Whenever someone takes a photograph they are showing a part of themselves; their thoughts and views of the subject matter. Looking through someone’s photographs is a good way to get to know them. It can also be a good way to understand them at a deeper level, and it can be a way for the photographer to share things about themselves that they might not be comfortable saying verbally. Often when using this technique in phototherapy, it is common for clients to receive ‘assignments’ to bring into the next therapy session to talk about.
Family photo albums and autobiographical images receive their own category within phototherapy techniques because of the huge impact they have on someone’s life. Viewing family albums can show the power dynamics and alignments within a family unit. It can also show the influence a person as had on them since birth and act as proof of the person’s existence and status within the family. Asking a client to explain their feelings while looking through the family albums can give the therapist a wealth of information regarding the true nature of the family relationships and help the client understand how they view their family and how their family has and is influencing them.
The projective process is our emotional response to photographs that comes from within us and is projected unto the image itself. This happens with all visual images we see, including photographs we take, photos that are taken of us and even random photos we see in magazines. There is no wrong answer when using the projective process, as this is a technique that is used to build confidences and explore the inner influences that we have. The projective process of phototherapy is beneficial when working with marginalized groups, specifically when dealing with invisible issues and evolving individual identities that might not fit within the larger family and community contexts.
The act of working with self-portraits can be a powerful motivator because the client is in control of how they see themselves. When you take a self-portrait, you are in control of how you style, pose and light yourself. All of a sudden you start to think about yourself, what you like, what you want to change without any outside interference because you get to choose if the outside world gets to see these self-portraits. Self-portraits also allow us to critique ourselves more easily than confronting potential problems without having a visual connection. Working with self-portraits can be especially beneficial for women and people who have been marginalized with restrictions against them from an outside source.
When viewing photos of ourselves taken by another person, it allows us to see how that person views us. Whether the photo is a posed or a candid photograph, the photo will still act as a gateway to seeing an outside view of ourselves. It can even let people know how the world views them, and if those views align with the self-portraits.
Whenever someone takes a photograph they are showing a part of themselves; their thoughts and views of the subject matter. Looking through someone’s photographs is a good way to get to know them. It can also be a good way to understand them at a deeper level, and it can be a way for the photographer to share things about themselves that they might not be comfortable saying verbally. Often when using this technique in phototherapy, it is common for clients to receive ‘assignments’ to bring into the next therapy session to talk about.
Family photo albums and autobiographical images receive their own category within phototherapy techniques because of the huge impact they have on someone’s life. Viewing family albums can show the power dynamics and alignments within a family unit. It can also show the influence a person as had on them since birth and act as proof of the person’s existence and status within the family. Asking a client to explain their feelings while looking through the family albums can give the therapist a wealth of information regarding the true nature of the family relationships and help the client understand how they view their family and how their family has and is influencing them.
[1] Inhabiting the image. (2013). In D. Loewenthal (Ed.), Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography in a Digital Age (pp. 69,70). New York, NY: Routledge.