Today I made two different but very useful jumps in my research. I’ll quickly write about my first hand research as this is fresh on my mind and save my material discoveries in pine tree resin for a post tomorrow when I’ve done a bit more experimenting.
I was able to interview Dr Adam’s, my friend who is a psychologist and psychiatrist, to gain a better insight into clinical therapies and how they can help inspire and guide my ‘calm inducing’ object making. It important to me to consult in science based theories and practices, because the area of wellness and mental health care can be saturated with pseudo science. I want to be aware and stay alert of this context, and acknowledge the damage that misinformation in this area can perpetuate. I’m the opposite of interested in my objects being appropriate to sell on ‘goop’ ( an infamous website run By Gwyneth Paltrow, selling questionable and sometimes dangerous items in the name of alternative wellness) and want the research and designs I make to be genuinely helpful to those that might need it, in a way that is rooted in science. ‘wellness’ products might be sold to people desperate for help, there is a vulnerability there. So whilst I’m interesting in learning about all the different way people find grounding, joy and calm, from ancient philosophy through to modern phenomena, ‘wellness’ technology etc, I want to be able to refer to what has been clinically accepted as a base, so this conversation along with the research it prompts is really important to me in grounding my work.

I began my contact with Dr Adam’s by outlining briefly my project context, and what the information would be used for by me a designer maker. I sent him my brief and outline of my project and some different areas I’d like to gain clarity on in advance. These were in two general areas

1. wandering if there are theories or even therapies that relate to objects and or our relationship, attachment or interaction with them. I understand that we have talking therapy but I’m interested to find out if is there anything clinical that that’s more visual or tactile or that uses something physical.

2. wandering if my application and interpretation of CBT techniques in creating anxiety busting workshops was appropriate.
   

   The interview was extremely helpful and I was able to learn a lot about the context of psychology and psychiatry in relation to objects and how we our relationships to things and each other is used to soothe. In particular (ill be brief) I’m really interested to learn more about transitional objects, object theory which is rooted in Freudian pscychodynamic theory, but then also quite excitingly a new schools of thoughts on poly Vagal theory which moves away from the binary dualism of the mind and body as separate ( popular in more traditional psychology) with biological evidence emerging that our mind and body are I linked inextricably through our senses and nerves - the effect of which researchers are only just beginning to understand. I was also interested to learn about similarities and common themes beginning to emerge between my research in ancient philosophies and modern wellness. I think I can learn a lot by this cross over - with principles such as meditation. Where the ‘woo’, gets proved right.

   I will organise a transcript so I can properly understand and audit what I learned and what I’m taking forward. Dr Adam’s kindly offered that I can contact him for consultation throughout and I will also consider a future point where his input would be helpful.