New film "Family Album" from India very relevant to PhotoTherapy and Therapeutic Photography
Posted by Judy Weiser, R.Psych., A.T.R. on 3/12/2011, 9:45 am
Thanks to Sabine Korth, I just found out about this new film ("Family Album") by Nishtha Jain, that premiered last month...
I wish I could see it, as it seems VERY relevant to both PhotoTherapy and Therapeutic Photography!
Here is a partial description: "Family Album is about the complex emotions a body of personal photographs can arouse in us. Nishtha Jain documents and dramatises the imaginable worlds in and around assorted family albums. Set in Kolkata, it reveals how family members wonder, speculate and reflect on the unusual memories their family photographs have evoked in them. They hold their family albums as authentic summaries of kinship and curiously examine them to make surprising discoveries of themselves and their line of descent. Through their family albums, they become compelling storytellers of their culture and history."
more at: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147536585306582
Re: New film "Family Album" from India very relevant to PhotoTherapy and Therapeutic Photography
I have a huge request. I am trying to write an article about PhotoTherapy in India and I was wondering if you could send me some leads on who possibly could be doing it.
Regards Madhu mreddy10@gmail.com
Re: New film "Family Album" from India very relevant to PhotoTherapy and Therapeutic Photography
Hi Madhu, and I'm delighted to hear you are writing about PhotoTherapy in India!
I have several suggestions, and probably the most important of which is that I have Skype* and so it might be easier for us to discuss this topic by voice rather than having to type, if there will be a lot of discussion! *my SkypeAddress is: weiserphototherapy and so if you "invite" me, I will accept and we can talk in "real time" (once we figure out the time zone differences!)
It is very likely that many people in India who are using photos either during, or as, therapy are doing this under the category of Art Therapy (or just plain psychotherapy!) practices/skills. So you might want to widen the keywords of your search...
Whereas there is a category for "Photo Art Therapy" (see the entry page of my website and also the "Compared with Other Fields" for that description), MOST people do not yet realize that the category exists as a separate entity, so MOST people (in ALL countries!) just call their work phototherapy, regardless of whether they are therapists, photographers, or art therapists (or combinations of these!)
All this to say that: An article about "PhotoTherapy in India" is a great idea, but first you need to clarify for readers (and me!) which KIND of "PhotoTherapy" you are referring to.
Do you mean as a THERAPY practice (photo-base techniques that are used during a larger therapy session, where the therapy would be going on that day whether or not photos are used at that particular time)??
Or do you mean as a PHOTOGRAPHIC practice (photo-based activities that are done by people for their OWN self-learning, insight, improved communication, community-building, rehabilitation, etc etc???
Once you tell me which kind you are writing about (or both kinds?), then I can give you a lot more information.
It's free to join and many more people read there than I might know of myself, personally!
I also have at least one Student Thesis on my webpage: "PhotoTherapy: An analytical study" by B. Chauhan: Masters Thesis, Department of Psychology, Masters of Science in Psychological Counseling, Christ University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
If you want to write her a message and send to me to my private email jweiser@phototherapy-centre.com I will be happy to forward it to her for you and ask her to reply.
You might also want to contact Nishtha Jain, whose film "Family Album" deeply connects with a lot of these techniques (although that's not the purpose of the film). But I'm sure she will be hearing from people who do this work, just simply as they watch her film and contact her in response. SO: if you want to send her an email, send it to me and I'll forward it to her for you.
Finally, I unfortunately do not know very many people in India (and I would like to change this situation!) -- so, while I cannot give you any names of people who I know are actually DOING that work, I do beg you to please let me know of any names and contact details that you yourself discover!!!!
Many thanks and please write back (either here or directly through private email) to let me know what you find out
and also please send me a copy of your finished article when it is ready, so that I can add it to my files!!
