Davis promotes art therapy as method of expression

Our minds’ creativity is sensational and oftentimes expressed with a paintbrush to paper, with hands to clay or even with a pencil to a printed mandala, which has basically become the adult version of a coloring book. In a moment of expression, our creativity takes hold of our full attention — all the while serving a therapeutic purpose.

Mara Newbart, a clinical social worker and psychotherapist in Davis who works on a variety of mental issues, incorporates art therapy as a form of expression. She utilizes it mostly with children but says that adults benefit as well.

“Sometimes you just don’t have the words to express what is going on,” Newbart said. “[Art therapy] gets emotions out that you don’t even know you have.”

As a form of treatment, Newbart uses art therapy to help people reach emotions stored in parts of the brain that are verbally unaccessible. She has witnessed how people, through art therapy, have an outlet to express their feelings of pain.

It’s important for students to find a space in which they can express themselves, like Newbart’s office, where issues are dealt with in a creative and healing way. Newbart notes the importance of “having someone to guide you” in a therapy setting, especially when dealing with bigger issues. Students should reach out and seek professional help if they are facing hard times. People like Newbart are here to help.  

Art outside of therapy can also have the same effect. Research has shown that “art can make a contribution to promoting positive mental health,” as well as serve as a form of empowerment and liberation. The study, published in the Disability and Society journal, stated that when art was conducted in a group setting, the interaction caused an increased sense of freedom. Participants in this study additionally saw an improvement in their general quality of life and emotional well-being. It positively affected their emotions and caused higher states of relaxation — found to be “an antidote to depression, anxiety, and fatigue.”

Students should participate and have the opportunity to engage in similar group settings. There are various art related activities that are promoted through UC Davis. Art is supported through organizations like the Cross Cultural Center, the Women’s Resource Center and other centers at the Student Community Center. These centers do not only spark the imagination, but also incorporate strong cultural and political meaning to their work.

Here on campus, students can also obtain the benefits of art therapy in a more private setting through Student Health and Counseling Services. These services are free to all students with or without insurance. Martha E. Zamudio, a psychology postdoctoral intern at UC Davis, uses art therapy on campus “as a way to engage the creativity of people’s minds,” as well as to deal with culturally sensitive art. She has created a group, the Mendalamented, to engage students in an impactful way. In the group you will find talks of mental health where media like clay work, painting, drawing and filling in mandalas are utilized as alternative ways to help students express their feelings. The group is confidential and held at North Hall, but is accessible to all students through the Student Health and Counseling Service center.

This form of group art, as well as many others, have helped students bond and, as Zamudio said, “Fill in a part of a person’s experience that they might have not been able to express.”
Written by: Marisol Beas — mbeas@ucdavis.edu

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The disagreement between Captain America and Iron Man echoes the current political climate

No franchise has worked harder to bring science fiction to popular prominence than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of its latest entries, Captain America: Civil War, was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2016. Looking back on it in the context of the year that’s past, it’s hard to ignore the implications of the film’s central conflict between Captain America and Iron Man over how best to bring justice to the world. The disagreement echoes the debates dominating the Western political world, as the revitalization of nationalism and the far right challenges the liberal, bureaucratic philosophies that have governed the world for 70 years.

After the events of the last Avengers movie that resulted in the demolition of a small Eastern European town, the UN proposes a new bill to limit the Avengers’ unauthorized activity. While this is going on, Captain America and his friend Bucky Barnes find out about a plan to unleash an army of mind-controlled supersoldiers on the world. While Captain America knows the truth and what needs to be done to stop the plan, he doesn’t have enough evidence to convince Iron Man and some of the other Avengers. They refuse to act — or to let him act — until the UN approves the use of force under the new legislation. Iron Man argues that the best way to keep the world safe is through laws and bureaucracy and supports the UN legislation. Captain America, however, supports acting on principles and doing what’s right no matter the costs.

Because he’s the title character, and also because his story is more interesting, the movie follows and makes us sympathize with Captain America and his team. The film shows us why the team should act as quickly as possible to neutralize the evil, even if it means going rogue, ignoring the bureaucracy and fighting Iron Man and company. In the end, Captain’s right. After an epic battle, they stop the bad guys just in time.

Whether or not you agree, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Captain America’s side is much more exciting, and this might help us understand the political shift to the right in 2016. The far right paints itself as new and exciting and promises swift, effective action instead of the competent, carefully thought-out bureaucratic method favored by the establishment. Many who voted for Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen and Brexit are fed up with this philosophy. Whether it be calls to close borders, leave the European Union, “drain the swamp” of the Washington elite or dismantle regulations, many feel that the bureaucratic systems currently in place are ineffective and hurt their countries in the long term.

In the context of the film, these far-right nationalist voters are Captain America, while the establishment of Hillary Clinton, Emmanuel Macron and the “Remain” campaign are Iron Man. In the movie and in real life, they’re set up as opposing views that are necessarily in conflict with one another — even if they both have legitimate arguments.

This is especially relevant to American politics. Being a super American (literally and figuratively), Captain America is all about doing what he thinks is right, even if no one else around him seems to agree. While the movie seems to endorse this view as heroic and brave, this ideology has gotten America into trouble in the past — namely with the Iraq War. The Trump administration seems to be adopting a similar attitude toward Syria and North Korea as well, and there’s no reason to be particularly optimistic about either situation for the same reasons.

Still, it’s an ideology that has empowered a lot of right-wing voters, who see themselves as the righteous rebels against an “unthinking” liberal society of Iron Man. It’s one that’s been running through America’s cultural veins for most of its existence.

The film does make a case for Iron Man’s argument, but it seems to endorse Captain America’s view at the end — that going rogue is the one way to act effectively. Iron Man’s method is shown as too slow, deliberate and ultimately destructive in comparison to Captain’s swift, righteous action. It’s not outlandish to say the film supports Trump’s views more, especially considering that Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter donated $1 million to the Trump campaign and has been considered for an advising role in the administration.

As in real life, the two ideologies in the film compete and Captain America’s comes out the eventual victor, just like with Trump and Brexit. However, the end of the film shows Iron Man and Cap beginning to patch things up after they defeat the bad guys, offering a hopeful note that eventually the two sides can come together again. This hasn’t happened in the real world yet and these tensions may resurface in the next Avengers movie. Despite the divide, however, there still may be hope for reunification under a common cause. Let’s just hope the real world doesn’t need an Infinity War to do it.

Written by: Noah Pflueger-Peters — napfluegerpeters@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Few American Millennials can afford the time, effort and money it takes to live a sustainable, healthy lifestyle

Do you ever wonder and contemplate about when you will “probably” die? Well, if you’re a Millennial living in the 21st century, evidence points to “probably pretty soon.” Why is the Millennial generation the first group in history not expected to live longer than their predecessors? The scientific community tells us there are several reasons as to why this young generation of Millennials will enjoy the same life expectancy as their grandparents rather than their parents.

The staple breakfast that Millennials have been enjoying since they were born consist of a tall glass of high-fructose corn syrup, a deluge of salty preservatives and a high-priced “valley girl” caramel macchiato. One would assume that this reason alone would account for Millennials heading to the grave sooner than expected. But when one looks at what they’re eating for lunch and dinner, and what their idea of physical exercise consists of, it becomes clear the problem is far more widespread. The food industry has exploded with genetically modified organisms that continue to function as the country’s most dominant and efficient form of agriculture. Although we can recognize that “the times, they are a-changin’,” we don’t always fully realize the severity of these changes.

Just before the 1970s and the “agricultural revolution,” farmers in all states were thriving and prospering. The country’s cattle were grass-fed, very few knew what a GMO was or had heard of “engineered preservatives” that are found among many everyday food items in 2017. The Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who were raised on this type of consumption are arguably better off than those of us who were born shoveling Xanthan gum and red color 40 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don’t get me wrong, Xanthan gum is delicious, and who doesn’t love the artificial red or yellow color dye 40? With the mounting evidence, it’s not difficult to see why the Millennial generation is not expected to live past another Coachella. So what can we expect to change in a world where the “Unicorn Frappuccino” is one of the most hyped-up and popular drinks at Starbucks? We can expect that, like unicorns, the chances that Millennials will live a long and healthy life are imaginary and fun to think about.   

As the greater Sacramento area fights to get the “City of Trees” sign back up on the water tower, one can’t help but consider how the new sign, “Sacramento, the Farm to Fork Capital,” suggests a new and positive direction in combating our food industry. But will measures like exercise programs and Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign be enough to help Millennials live longer? And how can we expect a rural, back-country town like Oxford, Mississippi to follow Sacramento? How can we expect the urban, underdeveloped area of Detroit, Michigan to carry its weight in the fight against obesity, diabetes and GMOs? Simply stated, we can’t.

This is a matter of money, time and location, as opposed to one of choice or action. There are simply not enough American Millennials that can have the resources necessary for consuming sustainable, healthy and organic food every day — not at least until the economy drastically improves, the price of higher education levels off or until today’s farmers are no longer slaves to federally-administered agricultural contracts.  

Although I’ve written before about how stress, depression and anxiety are plaguing the Millennial generation, it’s primarily the surrounding food environment that will land Millennials in the grave faster than anything. The solutions to most of these problems will take precious time, effort and wealth that the young generations of this country simply do not have yet.
Written by: Brody Fernandez — bwfernandez@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.