Synopsis
Family sculpture has been defined as a dynamic, active, non-linear and non-verbal technique to portray family relationships. To emphasize the non-verbal character of the technique, we created a “Blind and Mute” modification.
The cornerstones of the “Blind and Mute” method are: (1) the sculptor doesn’t tell anything about the situation to be sculpted (2) the leader of the process chooses the actors into the roles which are unknown to everyone, (3) during the actual creation of the sculpture no words are used.
In this arrangement the actors portraying the family members have to rely only on their inner feelings and sensations derived from the body and from the spatial configuration of the sculpture.
The method is used in the training of family therapists to increase their self-awareness of their family of origin issues. Additionally, it is used as a means of clinical supervision when trainees work with families. In this way the meaning and importance of non-verbal interaction within the family therapeutic system is highlighted.
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Piha, J., Schmitt, F. (2016). Blind and Mute Family Sculpting in the Training of Family Therapists. In: Borcsa, M., Stratton, P. (eds) Origins and Originality in Family Therapy and Systemic Practice. European Family Therapy Association Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39061-1_11
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