Jade Jago

Project title: Determining the effects of dissociative clients' communication through visual journal use from a therapists' perspective: A mixed methods approach.

Jade Jago is an emerging art therapist with a background in special education, science, and language teaching. She is driven by a passion for communication and empowering individuals to find their voice. As a visual art teacher she developed curricula that maximised student abilities, with artmaking contributing significantly to the wellbeing of the school community. Jade believes everyone can be artists regardless of their background and wants to make a positive impact by helping people improve their lives. Her love of language and communication, science and the arts have been a constant throughout her career, and she is excited to bring her passion and experience to this new profession.

For Jade, the act of creating is more important than the materials used, and mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning. She enjoys sculpting with wire and clay, printmaking, acrylic and watercolour painting, and drawing with conte-crayon, oil- and soft-pastel, graphite and coloured pencil. Her diverse skills allow her to connect with others over a range of interests and media. Jade appreciates the scientific precision of botanical art and soft lines of life drawing. It is her experience that viewing the world as an artist enhances mood, outlook, and appreciation of detail. She believes beauty can be found in everything and everyone if one learns to look, leading to joy in everyday encounters.

Dissociative states affect one’s sense of Self, and can result in disconnection from emotion, memory, bodies and/or environment. It disrupts communication and negatively impacts the formation and maintenance of the therapeutic alliance. Jade’s article explores ways in which visual journals can provide a consistent sense of Self and strengthen the communication and the bond between dissociative clients and therapists. Her artwork delves into the nature of dissociation and the unpredictable process of research. Jade uses charcoal to highlight the 'black and white' factual nature of research and the colourless disconnect of dissociation. Jade created an intentional parallel between process and topic by choosing a medium that was novel to her in order to address themes of disorientation, disconnect, and finding voice. In doing so she created pieces that convey a sense of ungroundedness and invites emotional and intellectual exploration and nuanced reflection on the complexities of both dissociation and the research process.

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