Grief, relief, and belief: Transpersonal arts-based therapy for abortion-related loss and grief
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Keywords
Abortion, arts-based therapy, distress and trauma, drama therapy workshop, griefwork, spirituality
Abstract
This article outlines the rationale behind a drama therapy-inspired workshop for grief work with women who are distressed after an abortion. The aim is to explore whether embodied creative activities can help women come to terms with their distress after an abortion. The four participants self-selected. This research uses transpersonal drama therapy (‘mountaintop perspective’) and a multi-dimensional framework that includes African cosmology in which living beings are connected to the dead. The research uses a grief theory theoretical framework and is an exploration of post-grief resilience theories. The methodology used to explore the post-abortion distress of women who found the experience to be lonely and silent was through a workshop. The workshop techniques used were body mapping, doll making, rock carrying, breathwork, and letter writing. Grounding to material elements was consistent. The study found that participants had applied rituals to reach closure. The drama therapy allowed the participants to imagine a future where the abortion was in the past. One surprising finding is that the spiritual aspect of existence is persistent, even if un-lived and un-described.
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Gillian Brollo, University of the Witwatersrand
After 25 years working in television and video production, Gillian Brollo began studying again to re-train as an arts therapist. She has an honours degree in Drama, a master’s degree in Film and Television, an honours degree in Psychology, and a master’s in Drama Therapy, all from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is currently doing her internship as an arts therapist. Brollo has extensive life and work experience and is exploring ways to use arts therapy to help people find ways to live lives that are more playful, meaningful, and manageable.