JUDY MCLAUGHLIN-RYAN
The Utilization of Fine Arts as a Narrative, When There Are No Words
When the non-verbal and/or preverbal language is inaccessible, and there are no words to describe an internal state and affect, utilizing art as a means of communication can provide a bridge between the sense of isolation, resulting in the communication to self and others, including the world at large.
This discussion and talk about the rational and application of not only practicing the suspension of inhibition, while exercising the of utilizing the medium of fine arts as a deeper understanding of self and others, will trace some experiential moments throughout the history of the three and one-half decades of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Addictive Disorders. Lastly, there will be a reflective perspective of navigating global and interpersonal crisis, through the expression of utilizing the fine arts.
About The Speaker:
Judy McLaughlin-Ryan, MFT MA is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist, with a Private Practice in Westwood California, since 1991. Her publications and presentations include ‘The Effects of Group Interaction on Affect/State/Intimacy and Isolation’ (Routledge, Taylor, Francis, Psychoanalytic Inquiry), ECOTS, ISTSS Presentations, Poster Session, Washington, D.C., Croatia, and Austria. She provided a Women’s Retreat: RESTORATION AND RECOVERY THROUGH MICRO-STEPS AND ‘THE SMALL’ for the International Doctor’s in Alcoholics Anonymous, including fine art’s as a mechanism for healing and recovery. Her work has focused on treating Addictions and PTSD, conducting groups, and teaching CEU’s specifically focused on attachment theory, i.e., isolation vs. affiliative experiences. Additionally, she is a fine artist, her studio shown in The Venice Beach Art Walk. Underscoring being present vs. preoccupied, the retreat is an invitation into the state of ‘being present’ through the experiential practice of defining and nurturing the ‘small’, while noticing the daily effects of practicing micro improvements and the taking of incremental steps, the twelve and others. She lives in Venice Beach with Michael Shane Ryan, her dog’s Georg and Heidi, and spends time with her family, grandchildren, and the community.
