Abstract

Using a historical-documentary method, this research aims to explore how art therapy can provide a ritual space in which transmitted trauma and loss can be worked through in a symbolic way. Previous theoretical researchers have suggested that as a result of war, trauma gets transferred to other generations creating a sense of unresolved grief. In war trauma the loss is often ambiguous. As a result, a ritual that may help the grieving process may be absent. Art therapy has been used to help people who have experienced trauma through its unique ability to visually and symbolically communicate difficult emotions. In addition, its ability to create therapeutic rituals can perhaps help those experiencing transmitted trauma. The connection among these topics needs further exploration. Research exists on the relationship between transmission of trauma and loss, between loss and ritual, and between art therapy and trauma. These relationships will be elaborated in this paper. This research can contribute to how we understand the transmission of trauma and how art therapy can be used to help clients work through it.