phototherapy

More about Phototherapy: Purpose Precautions Aftercare Risks Normal results Resources

Definition

Phototherapy, or light therapy, is the administration of doses of bright light in order to normalize the body's internal clock and/or relieve depression.

Description

Phototherapy is generally administered at home. The most commonly used phototherapy equipment is a portable lighting device known as a light box. The box may be mounted upright to a wall, or slanted downwards towards a table. The patient sits in front of the box for a prescribed period of time (anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours). Some patients with SAD undergo phototherapy sessions two or three times a day, others only once. The time of day and number of times treatment is administered depend on the physical needs and lifestyle of the individual patient. If phototherapy has been prescribed for the treatment of SAD, it typically begins in the fall months as the days begin to shorten, and continues throughout the winter and possibly the early spring.

The light from a slanted light box is designed to focus on the table it sits upon, so patients may look down to read or do other sedentary activities during therapy. Patients using an upright light box must face the light source (although they need not look directly into the light). The light sources in these light boxes typically range from 2,500–10,000 lux. (In contrast, average indoor lighting is 300–500 lux; a sunny summer day is about 100,000 lux).

Phototherapy prescribed for the treatment of SAD may be covered by insurance. Individuals requiring phototherapy should check with their insurance company to see if the cost of renting or purchasing a light box is covered.

— Paula Anne Ford-Martin

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n., pl., -pies.
The treatment of a disorder, especially of the skin, by exposure to light, including ultraviolet and infrared radiation.

phototherapeutic pho'to·ther'a·peu'tic (-thĕr'ə-pyū'tĭk) adj.

The use of photographic representations in various therapeutic contexts to promote self-awareness and psychic healing. In the 1970s in the USA and Canada therapists started to use photographs as counselling tools. Working within a range of theoretical frameworks, they used the photographic image as a route to the unconscious, assuming that the meanings an individual finds in a photograph are the result of a projective process and mirror an unconscious ‘inner map’ he or she is using. A therapist, using a non-judgemental approach, may assist the client to articulate and reflect on his or her values and beliefs, using photographs as a catalyst for communication. Photographs taken by the client prior to therapy may offer insights into feelings and relationships of deep personal concern. Family albums can provide a resource for autobiographical storytelling and an exploration of family dynamics, and offer clues as to why certain early experiences continue to affect the individual.

However, an important element in phototherapy is often the photographic enactment of life events that were not or could not have been photographed before, e.g. because they involved conflict, abuse, or deprivation. Re-enactment phototherapy was developed by Rosy Martin and Jo Spence from 1983. Issues linked to memories unearthed and explored through counselling would be made visual with the use of carefully selected clothes and props. Scenarios were staged with the client as protagonist in a variety of power situations—for example mother-daughter. (In some situations models might be used.) The photographer-therapist offered reassurance, support, and reflection. The goal was to enable the client to re-experience a previously repressed trauma in a secure setting, re-examine his or her perceptions and feelings, and achieve a degree of cathartic release.

Photographs are constructions, the product of a range of specific choices; yet are widely believed to represent ‘truth’. Phototherapy provides opportunities to play with the notion of photographic truthfulness, using re-enactments of past scenes, or scenes that might have occurred in the past, to suggest alternative identities or life histories. Moving the photographs around and creating new narratives disrupts the sense of closure or inevitability. New stories may be told, new possibilities envisaged. Re-enactment phototherapy presents the self as process and, in theory, offers openings for change.

— Rosy Martin/Robin Lenman

Bibliography

• Martin, R., and Spence, J., ‘Phototherapy: Psychic Realism as a Healing Art?’, Ten8, 30 (1988).
• Weiser, J., Phototherapeutic Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots and Family Albums (1993).
• Berman, L., Beyond the Smile: The Therapeutic Use of the Photograph (1993)

Treatment of disease by exposure to light. Malignant tumors are treated by using photosensitizing drugs and laser light.