Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Mar 22/02) - How do you mend a broken heart? Sometimes all that's needed is a shoulder to cry on and someone to listen.

But if the pain goes too deep, people who experience emotional or physical trauma sometimes hide away the hurt as a form of defence.

Therapist Judy Blonski uses artwork to draw people out of their shells and deal with the pain they hide away.

Originally from Toronto, she moved to Inuvik purely on intuition.

"I follow my dreams," Blonski smiles. "I listen to my intuition and listen to my elders."

She has a degree in native studies, studied psychotherapy, and was certified at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. She says the artwork is a tool to open up and empower her patients.

"Art therapy is working with things that are not easily explained," she says. "People have been traumatized and they repress it in their mind, because they don't want to deal with it."

"They try to forget all about it and they can't understand why patterns keep repeating in their lives or why they feel a certain way."

She says art allows a person to put things into a visual understanding and come to grips with their situation.

"They have a dialogue with that work and that artwork helps them understand what has made them who they are," she says. "It also empowers that person to deal with these issues, knowing they have the right answers inside of them to make the changes."

When the client first comes in, Blonski be-gins an assessment, where she evaluates the family background, prior therapy and personality traits.

She may refuse to work with some people, typically people with schizophrenia or multiple personalities.

"They take no ownership and flip from one area to another," she said. "I have to be very sensitive, because they need so much help."

Once the client is assessed, Blonski begins the session having them draw, paint or sculpt whatever they feel.

"I'm not directing them what to do. They are doing it and I help them contain it and have fun doing it," she explains.

A variety media such as clay, paints, crayons, charcoal or pencils are provided.

"I contain them somewhat, so they don't go running loosely all over the place," she says. "They work through their own journeys with the art."

Once the artwork is completed, Blonski looks for patterns or similar themes, but does not draw her conclusions based on the work.

"A person might always be drawing rainbows, so you know something must be associated with that," she says. "I might have some insight as to what that rainbow represents, but it's just a guideline."

The art is more of an association tool that brings her closer to the client, who is having difficulty externalizing the trauma.

"It's the whole process; how they verbalize to me, through their eye contact, body movement and I also watch their resistance," she says. "They build trust with you and in time, they open up."

She says the therapy is like a person having a conversation with the art. Once the dialogue opens between the artist and the work, healing shortly follows.

Blonski is just completing a new home in Inuvik and will work from there or the client's home.