Painting What We See Within: A Look at the Insides of Art Therapy

According to Naumburg (1966), the process of art therapy is based on one’s fundamental thoughts and feelings that are obtained from the unconscious and often express in images rather than in words. Understanding the techniques of art therapy are based on every individual’s knowledge that whether trained or untrained in art, the individual all have a unconscious ability to project inner thoughts or conflicts into images. In other words, everyone does not have to be a skilled artist to do art therapy; any form of art is acceptable. For example: scribbling on a piece of paper can be art therapy because the act of scribbling transforms the unconscious thought into an image. (Naumburg, 1966).

The consensus regarding art is art is for artists, or it’s merely a hobby. But, what if art could alleviate symptoms of depression, or help those with PTSD? All of us has had to deal with some form of psychological issues in our lives. Whether causation of the problem is stress from work, caring for children or parents, cognitive decline, illness, depression, death, trauma or violent crime, these issues have affected us all. “… art can engage the mind and emotions more effectively than other forms of therapy” (Habib & Ali, 9). Society should implement art therapy in conjunction with traditional treatments in the above mentioned psychological issues and instances of nonverbal or closed-off patients.

Art therapy is a Multi-Functional Psychological therapy that helps the mental mind in connecting things that are disconnected like a patient with alzheimer's where the patient's medial temporal lobe that’s the part of the brain that controls memory. The medial temporal lobe is vital in the brain because that is where the brain recollects the memories and stores them. When you get older the lobe gets weaker in which causes it to disconnect thus causing “memory loss” or dementia. In art therapy we like to cause a visual reconnection of that nerve so in which a patient then can remember more but in a visual stance as in some people like to look at photographs to visually which allows memories to reconnect. These programs are put into place to help anyone with mental issues they are put in place just to help.

Art therapy is said to use “three levels of intervention.” These levels include engaging in the clients senses through the physical manipulation of art materials, using the client’s art as a “symbolic container of their traumatic memories, and “cognitive reflection” guided by the art therapist. The therapist helps to “guide” where the client’s focus lays in terms of their traumatic memories; the goal of the therapist is to help the client integrate elements of their experience, other than the extremely negative, into their

Fard, Farah Joan. "The expanding reach of art therapy: though it's a relatively new approach to mental health treatment, art therapy is gaining traction and making a difference in people's lives." Art Business News, Winter 2015, p. 34+. Fine Arts and Music Collection, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=PPFA&sw=w&u=hillsbor&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA436797590&it=r&asid=1bc151430b53c85d758e9329f6ecf46a. Accessed 22 Nov. 2017.

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

harnessed by the art therapist to allow the client a creative outlet to express intense and changing

Everyone can benefit from therapy including children, but traditional therapy in a clinical setting children may find scary of difficult to properly express themselves. Art therapy eliminates the fear of being unable to express your feelings.. Art therapy is usually easier for children, scene children are naturally creative, allowing them to draw pictures instead of answering questions directly. Art therapist process depends on the age of the child and the problem being treated, therapist will often give the child a prompt to get them started. Creating art is a nonthreatening way that allows children to face tough issues in a creative way .Also talking to children about their artwork can help “break the ice” and help therapist to find the

Emery (2004) coincides with further speculation that having a sense of self is pertinent in relating to others. These speculations suggest a theory that individuals with ASD have difficulty relating to others because they may lack a sense of self. In other words, they lack a theory of mind Research hypothesizes that art therapy promotes developing this sense. Martin (2008) develops the theory that portrait drawing enhances face processing and recognition skills, which are integral in relating to others. If art therapy promotes developing a sense of self and others, then art therapy can improve ToM in individuals with ASD. For individuals with ASD, the research suggests that the art product increases self- and others-awareness, self-esteem, and acts as a form of communication. Henley (1991) speculates that the art process can be a safe therapeutic environment that can be difficult to create with individuals with ASD. Often with individuals with ASD, the interaction and confrontation with a therapist can be problematic. Henley further explains that “The art process can diffuse such confrontations by deflecting the tension as a kind of buffering or soothing agent, which in turn enhances self-esteem and a cohesive sense of self” (1991,

Art therapy inhibits social interaction, as well as improves individuals over all wellbeing through the creative healing process of art. Art therapy can also help people with their social skills. The benefits of art therapy in these types of situations can help with people that are withdrawn or shy, or who, for some reason or another, have a difficult time functioning within social situations. Art therapy offers an element of safety, that other verbal therapy falls short of. Also, art therapy can help improve various mental and physical symptoms including, but not limited to, reducing pain, anxiety, and tension.

According to American Art Therapy Association usually the ones who benefit from art therapy include those who have experienced trauma from combat, abuse, and natural disaster; People with different physical health conditions such as cancer, traumatic brain injury, and other health disability benefit greatly from art therapy. Also people with autism, dementia, depression, and mental disorders benefit from art therapy. People with mental disorders have a harder time expressing how they are feeling, in result they use art therapy to express what they are thinking or feeling. Art therapy helps people resolve conflicts, improve personal skills, are more able to manage problematic behaviors, reduce negative stress, and achieve personal insight. Art therapy also provides an opportunity to enjoy making art and developing a new

From the 1940’s to the 1960’s this form of therapy grew immesnly in the United States. In the 1960’s art therapy was “an idea whose time had come” (Junge, 2010). All the hype did not last long. In the 1970’s a split between the once unified body of art therapists was seen. Two lines of thinking came about. The first was “art as therapy” and the second was “art as psychotherapy.” The first focuses on the results during the actual process, while the second focuses on the knowledge learned from the process. This split still continues and can even be seen in the original definition given by the American Association of Art Therapy.

Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being.

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

Before we can understand what expressive art therapy is, however, an understanding of terms, like imagination and creativity, is necessary. There is a lack of consensus about how imagination and creativity are defined and who is capable of it. In therapeutic contexts, the essence of imagination is the substance of dreams. Dreams, however, are not just images. In dreams, sounds, rhythms, acts, etc. can be perceived in a sensory or experiential way (Levine & Levine, 2004). Creativity springs from imagination and is understood in terms of its qualities and characteristics: spontaneity, playfulness, motivation, originality, self-expression, inventiveness, divergent thinking, and intuition. Creativity pushes limits, breaks down barriers, and