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The purpose of Art Therapy is essentially one of healing as it encourages self-discovery and emotional growth. It is a two-part process, involving both the creation of art and the discovery of its meaning. The analysis of the artwork typically enables a patient to gain some level of insight into their feelings and allows them to work through these issues in a constructive manner. Art therapy is typically practiced in conjunction with individual, group, or family psychotherapy. An important feature of art therapy is that the patient/artist, not the therapist, directs the interpretation of their artwork. Patients are encouraged to visualize, and then create, the thoughts and emotions that they can't express verbally.
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Applications:
Art therapy techniques can be a particularly useful treatment tool for children, who often have limited language and communications skills. By drawing or visually expressing their feelings, even if they can't identify or label the emotions, younger patients have a starting point from which to address these issues. Art therapy is also valuable for adolescents and adults who are unable or unwilling to verbalize thoughts and feelings. Clients who have experienced trauma and abuse are perfect candidates for Art Therapy, as their expereinces are very often impossible to express in words. Clients with psychosomatic disorders such as Eating disorders, Encopresis, Enuresis, Selective Mutism and Chronic Pain, experience deep healing through Art Therapy, as their subconscious has repressed their feelings inside their bodies and their cognition has no ability to recognize or verbalize what it happening inside them. The Art is a mirror of what is going on inside their hearts. The client can then process their artwork with their minds, thereby bridging the gap between their symptoms and their feelings.
Benefits:
Art therapy techniques can be a particularly useful treatment tool for children, who often have limited language and communications skills. By drawing or visually expressing their feelings, even if they can't identify or label the emotions, younger patients have a starting point from which to address these issues. Art therapy is also valuable for adolescents and adults who are unable or unwilling to verbalize thoughts and feelings. Clients who have experienced trauma and abuse are perfect candidates for Art Therapy, as their expereinces are very often impossible to express in words. Clients with psychosomatic disorders such as Eating disorders, Encopresis, Enuresis, Selective Mutism and Chronic Pain, experience deep healing through Art Therapy, as their subconscious has repressed their feelings inside their bodies and their cognition has no ability to recognize or verbalize what it happening inside them. The Art is a mirror of what is going on inside their hearts. The client can then process their artwork with their minds, thereby bridging the gap between their symptoms and their feelings.
Benefits:
- Self-discovery. At its most successful, art therapy triggers an emotional catharsis (a sense of relief and wellbeing through the recognition and acknowledgement of subconscious feelings).
- Personal fulfillment. The creation of a tangible reward can build confidence and nurture feelings of self-worth. Personal fulfillment comes from both the creative and the analytical components of the process.
- Empowerment. Art therapy can help individuals visually express emotions and fears that they were never able to articulate through conventional means, and give them some sense of control over these feelings.
- Relaxation and stress relief. Chronic stress can be harmful to both mind and body. It can weaken and damage the immune system, cause insomnia and depression. When used alone or in combination with other relaxation techniques such as guided imagery, art therapy can be a potent stress reliever.
- Symptom relief : Art therapy can also help individuals cope with pain and promote physiological healing by identifying and working through anger and resentment issues and other emotional stresses.
