Art Therapy
The Art of Inner Healing
What is Art Therapy
The Art Therapist creates a safe space whereby the client can express and communicate difficult thoughts and feelings that may not always be conscious . The therapist and client then work together in exploring the symbolic nature inherent in a creative matter, allowing for a deeper understanding and meaning to be reflected upon and thereby re-integrated in a conscious and meaningful way.
The process of making art and reflecting on it with a registered and trained Art Therapist is firstly therapeutic but furthermore an opportunity for working through areas of stuck-ness, stagnation, dis-ease, discomfort, limited beliefs and difficult emotions and experiences. This has an overall benefit on one’s personal wellbeing and effectiveness as an adult, student, parent, professional or therapist.
Why Art Therapy
“Psychotherapy has to do with two people playing together” (Winnicott 1988)
Art Therapy can be a very powerful process, which may enable long buried traumas and embodied feelings to surface and be acknowledged.
Art Therapy is an opportunity to literally be in the moment, be present and develop the capacity to be more mindful and conscious of oneself both in our daily responsibilities and expectations.
How does it work
The Art Therapist provides a contained and supportive space with different art materials (such as paint, clay, chalk, charcoal, crayons, marker’s, objects to cut and paste etc).
For many clients, it is easier to relate to the therapist through the art object, which provides a focus for discussion, exploration and reflection. The therapist and client then work together in trying to understand the client’s personal process and creative expression in the session.
Who is it for
Art Therapy is also helpful for adults and children struggling with
- Stress
- Burnout
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Illness
- Addiction
- Trauma.
Adolescents struggling difficulty with
- Socialising,
- Concentration,
- Developing insight
- Addiction
- Depression
- Anxiety
- ADHD
- Trauma
Everyone has a creative body and mind and in Art Therapy, we support and encourage this creativity for growth and transformation.
Art Therapy is also helpful for adults struggling with stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, illness, addiction, trauma.
The arts are an essential guide to the therapeutic relationship, as it circumvents cultural and language
It is often difficult to express oneself solely using words, research indicates that our left brain thinking goes offline during traumatic incidences therefore we rely on our right brain communication to make sense and piece together our narratives.
Art therapy offers an alternate medium to express, explore and work through thoughts, feelings and concerns in the here and now
Often when people find things too painful to express themselves verbally, either due to not being able to identify the words to match the feelings or overwhelmed by anxiety, chaos or numbness (dissociation) from their emotions. The arts can be a useful tool as:
Art is a way to offload awful feelings in a safe environment.
Art is a less directive approach and less personal. Images, characters can say or do awful things without being too exposed.
Circumvent cultural and gender barriers in a non-judgemental environment.
Through creative expression, new behaviours and ways of thinking can be practised and tried out.
Unknown early developmental trauma techniques such as sensory motor skills e.g. clay can help stimulate implicit memories allowing gradual insight and awareness, allowing us to piece the puzzle together.
What we do know for sure is that mammals, we have an innate strength and power to heal ourselves given the right support.