Approaching the Corporal Expression of a Blind Autistic Adolescent using Art Therapy

The objective of this article is to testify to the unique, respectful experience that made it possible to transform the dance productions of a visually impaired, autistic adolescent using art therapy, proposing a route toward the expression of the security and freedom of movement occurring simultaneously within this person. Using a conceptual approach linked to the ideas of Jean Pierra, experience of the individual creation and transformation process was found to be a departure point for reflecting art therapy accompaniment methodology, where the freedom of the symbolic journey was the accustomed framework, an expression of the enigma that operates through metaphorization, allowing the adolescent to make himself more a subject of himself through his corporal productions. The proposal of Mary Whitehouse and her notion of "authentic movement" are examined; these are derived, in turn, from C. Jung's concept of "active imagination," offering a sufficient, flexible structure for containing the emotion of the adolescent, letting his ideas and thoughts flow through movement from any and all conscious or unconscious levels. This kind of accompaniment made it possible to involve him in listening to his own body and in the possibility of communicating and being understood by his companion without needing to use verbal language, going from being an object of his pathology to being a subject of his dance productions, which allowed him to represent it with a certain authenticity. Finally, the study reflects on the role of the companion and how to approach a person with difficulties in the art therapy context.