Expressive Therapy Is Used In Expressive Therapy

“This is where you can find your soul, if you dare.” (Anderson, pg 10) This belief comes from the mind of the Melinda, the progantists, art teacher, Mr. Freeman. Art is truly a door to the mind of an individual, showing things that people aren’t able to say. It shows through images and colors what many people aren’t able to express in words, events and thoughts speaking through the medium. Art is growing as a use of therapy to heal and tell. Psychologists analyze their patients art at a psychological level, interpreting the image into words. One of the theories in art therapy, which is seen throughout “Speak”, is the idea that unconscious thoughts are expressed in an image. (Irvings)These images then can be explained rationally. Melinda’s three major art images, the half dead trees, turkey bone, and cubism represent this theory.

Cathy Malchiodi observes the pattern for the use of art expression in helping individuals to express crisis and trauma through imagery. The therapeutic benefit of nonverbal communication

Like everything else, there is a romanticized idea of art. A balcony overlooking Los Angeles/ New York/ Italy/ France/ Greece. A misunderstood starving artist conveying their emotions by painting on a canvas. The underlying aspect is emotion. Art is a way to express emotions if you look at the work of Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso what you will see is subconscious emotions on a canvas. Art making is hypothesized to involve bilateral stimulation, engaging the integrating and planning functions of the prefrontal cortex to sequence narratives using left brain functions. Slowly evolving to being used by psychoanalysts and art therapy becoming a profession. This essay will show how art plays an important factor in psychological

A person’s state of mind and their emotions can be expressed in numerous ways without a word ever being spoken. In writing, a poet may share their heartbreak through verse, while a musician will spread their joy and happiness through melody. A photographer may express a moment of beauty and awe through a vibrant image, while an artist can use paint to silently convey turmoil using dark colors or shadow. Taking a more in depth look into the visual arts, it is evident that artists will often use their artwork, such as paintings, to convey an autobiographical account of different, but poignant periods in their lives. Some will paint their bare souls on to the canvas, leaving little to contemplated. Others make their loneliness and sadness subtle,

Like the case example of Bridget in the article, “Art Therapy: A Proposal for Inclusion in School Settings” where she was assessed by the school art therapist, Marie learned to also use art to process her inner physical and emotional pain in an environment where she felt safe. Since the beginning of Marie’s assessment and interaction with the art therapist she began showing baby steps and signs of progress. With that being said, Marie’s trauma was so severe and had been going on for years, therefore it became clear that her need for continued art therapy was necessary and

Art therapy is based off of experiential family therapy which emerged from the humanistic approach of existential psychology. Gladding (2014) says that The foundation of experiential theory is that the individual within the family are unaware of their true emotions and if they are aware of them they suppress them. Experiential approaches incorporate family play into session which is good because it helps,

Art therapy with adolescents with depression can be a successful modality of treatment because it allows the client to be able to control communication. The adolescent can create whatever they want and can choose share what they choose. For some adolescents nonverbal communication is more comfortable than attempting to put feelings into words. This is a new generation. Verbal communication is pushed aside by the use of technology. The adolescent can also feel respected through Art Therapy. The therapist can honor the content and meaning of the adolescent’s art. This can reinforce a sense of respect within the client. The adolescent can project their viewpoints; rationalize experiences all within a safe and nonjudgmental environment. Art Therapy also gives

Roger’s traditional person-centered therapy is perhaps the greatest example of “talk therapy” as there is not any homework, specific techniques, or behavior to be changed. Instead, the success of the therapy lies in the process and letting clients experience this process as fully as possible. Therefore, it may be surprising that Natalie Roger’s person-centered expressive arts therapy has shifted away from traditional verbal means of expression to more creative means. According to Sommers-Flanagan, through mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, music, writing and improvisation “clients peel away the layers of defense and find their true nature” (2007). Expressive art therapy is not concerned with the end product (client’s do not create a piece to hang on the wall) but rather the process of using art to delve into a client’s pain, rage, or grief is the goal. Therefore, just as in Roger’s person-centered therapy the process is the focal point but the mediums used are quite different. Through these mediums clients find other ways to go inward, other ways to speak. Like her father’s person-centered therapy, Natalie Roger’s expressive arts therapy is nondirective and lets client’s lead the process and trusts them to find the modalities they can learn from (Sommers-Flanagan, 2007).

through art-making can help to reframe these emotions into something that is easier to carry.

Although, there are seldom environments where art therapy can only be considered safe when a skilled therapist is involved. Therefore, being used only as a complementary therapy to help cancer patients deal with their emotions that coincide with their diagnosis, due to its inevitable healing process, which can bring to light some

Not much has been written about the use of expressive arts in existential practice. “Pat Allen, one of the founders of the open studio approach to art therapy… decided to experiment with having people make art alongside each other and be of service to each other during the process, hence the Open Studio Approach” (Story, 2007). This approach is based upon three elements; intention, attention and witness (Story, 2007).

To support my hypothesis, I will use the article “Establishing the framework for using photos in art therapy (and other therapies) practices” by Weiser. According to this author the photo therapy has a valuable use in psychologist, neuropsychologist and Gestalt psychotherapies (Weiser, 2014). In neuropsychological rehabilitation, the photography may be used to recover client’s memories, work in their personal identity, autobiographical history, as well as new roles and emotions (Weiser, 2014). Family albums and portraits may be used in psychotherapy by caregivers of patients with brain condition or moderate mental illness to orientate them and recall memories (Weiser, 2014). For some patients that often have difficulty developing their own

Expressive arts therapy is the use of art modalities, creative process, and aesthetic experience in a therapeutic context. It is a therapy of the imagination (McNiff, 1992). Effective communication is an essential element in therapeutic relationships and, although verbal language is the most conventional means of conveying information, other forms can convey just as much as words. The arts are an alternative form of communication that has recently received recognition for their value in therapeutic settings. There is a long well-established connection between the arts and psychology. Expressive arts therapy builds on a natural, complimentary relationship between the two disciplines. As a formal therapy, this form is relatively new with its

Almost every theoretical orientation has adapted the use and techniques of expressive arts therapy in some way. Humanistic psychology, for example, emphasizes the importance of play, creativity, and spontaneity. The creative process is intrinsic to self-actualization. Self-actualization makes life more meaningful and enhances abilities,

Expressive arts therapy is a form of psychotherapy that allows for emotional expression and healing through nonverbal means (CATA, 2003). In practices of experienced psychotherapists, the therapy is typically not of one pure type, but draws aspects from a number of perspectives and schools. As for theoretical support and for critique, approaches of Freudian, Jungian, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Person-centered will be analyzed in the following part.