Enamorado

Diana Enamorado
Period 5
Research paper

Phototherapy

The power of imagery can often release underlying thoughts, feelings and
emotions in ones self. For most of us words often fail to symbolize our motives.
Phototherapy has the ability to tap into a persons inner self and escape the built in
psychological defense mechanisms. By just asking a client to take a look or to comment
on a photo that relates or projects their life or struggles, it can expose a new emotional
outlook that is unrecognizable to the person. Taking phototherapy into sessions can
guide individuals to strengthen and heal the mind, self awareness and understanding of
ones emotions. Since so much of our sensory input comes from our visual sphere
many psychologist such as Dr. Weiser , consider photography the window to ones soul.

A mixture of phototherapy and social action photography can positively change

an individual, family or couples lives. The benefits of using this technique in sessions
include increasing self knowledge, awareness and wellbeing. It helps enhance a
positive attitude to improve relationships. Looking at photos of ones self can of course
be personally beneficial but it can also remind the individual of deep memories and
extreme emotions quite quickly which may be hard and eye opening and difficult to cope
with. The point of using photo triggering photos in therapeutic sessions isnt to resolve
any emotional consequences but more to mend what is being healed using other forms

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the professional has chosen for the patient, it helps finishes off the emotional process.
The results of using photo exploration can make it easy for this process to become self
healing , however having the help of a mental health professional can help the process
of your journey and experience.

Now that the reader knows the benefits of phototherapy and how it works its time
to actually know how to use it. There is five techniques in using this, using all five
together works best. Phototherapy is not to translate what a photo means to them, all
the feedback and input should come from the client while being guided by the
professional. When the client discusses this it reveals a lot about themselves such as
beliefs, expectations and attitude. Bringing the photos or creating a photo and using
them in therapy is just the start the next step to this process is to ask stimulating
questions and all that comes along with it such as different viewpoints, visual messages
and dialogue. So what is considering the goal (finished picture) to a photographer is just
the start of something in phototherapy.

The psychology part of phototherapy is how the mind and brain works to release
emotions just by looking a picture. Many parts of the brain tie into this process, the
cerebrum houses the parts of the brain that control and relate to emotions. The
prefrontal cortex is responsible for abstract analysis and cognitive analysis but in more
simple wording it pretty much is the exercise of judgment. The most important parts that
contribute to the photo to memory to emotional reaction is the hippocampus and the
temporal lobe. The hippocampus stores and retrieves memories and provides context to

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the situations while the temporal lobe processes sounds and emotional responses and
provides visual perceptions and maintains other functions relating to memory.

Phototherapy is not limited to just professional photographers and psychologists.

Since these techniques are not used necessarily as an art form but more as an
emotional expression it doesnt require any photography skills. Lastly, since all these
techniques involve individuals to come in touch with their form of reality , they can be
successful using these techniques on their for self healing for those who have trouble
verbally expressing themselves due to mental or emotional reasons. Just like the
famous idiom , a picture is worth a thousand words!

Works Cited
"Therapeutic Photography." PhotoTherapy Techniques. N.p., 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 06
Oct. 2016.

@PsychToday. "PhotoTherapy." Psychology Today. N.p., 03 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Oct.

2016.

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Suler, John. "Photographic Psychology: Image and Psyche." Photographic

Psychology: Image and Psyche. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.