Beyond Basics Blog: What is Art Therapy?
" Art has always been the raft onto which we climb to save our sanity. I don't see a different purpose for it now. " Dorothea Tanning
Dorothea Tanning was a sculptor, painter and writer who lived til 101 years old. She believed wholeheartedly that art and creative pursuits were vital coping mechanisms to navigate and understand the complexities and challenges of living and I believe that too!
I know it may seem unusual to you to enter a therapist's office and be encouraged to create art instead of discussing your mental health struggles and challenges. Many of my adult clients, and I specify' adult' here, feel intimidated and threatened by this offer and invitation. They often say, "I am no artist, I can't even draw a stick man" or "I'm really not creative. " However, my young clients and children have no problem with drawing, painting, or using clay; they love it and fully immerse themselves in the activity. They are so proud of their creations and rarely criticise them, proudly showcasing their work to their parents. My hope is that my adult clients can pause their judgement of their art or the pieces they produce. Instead surrender to the process, returning to the joy of making art as they did as children- having fun and creating mess.
Although it may seem like a simple approach, I have seen it work in my clinical practice when patients embrace their messiness. When they can do that, a profound connection with themselves and their inner parts begins to develop. I realise I have digressed to the benefits without first explaining the process.
Art Therapy is a way of understanding yourself, your challenges and obstacles and the way that you feel about something without needing to talk about it. Evidence tells us that "the non-verbal nature of image-making can often bypass the language-processing centres of the brain, offering genuine relief". In my clinical practice, I see how many people struggle just with emotional vocabulary. They are unable to tell me how they feel in the moment. Usually, when I ask how they are feeling, they immediately say "fine" or "OK". Neither of these are emotions but it is a usual response as we are often socialised to answer in this surface way. Children and adults alike have grown up knowing the five basic emotions: happy, mad, sad, disgust and fear; however, even these are a bridge too far for most people. Even clients who are connected to themselves will not tell me they are feeling disgusted and will definitely not say they are fearful. I think it has a lot to do with culture too, as many people are taught as children to hide most of their emotions and "just be happy".
Discover Your Inner Landscape
A simple art piece with the instruction, "draw how you are feeling as if it is the weather" can bring such insight (Try this one if you like)
Thinking metaphorically, then making a simple image reflecting those thoughts or instincts, can be powerful and help develop deeper connections with yourself. An example of this might look like, thinking of how your feelings might feel like a storm brewing with grey clouds overhead but perhaps there is still some sun shining through. It may be that there is no sun and the storm is already in full swing, raining pelting down without relief. Or perhaps the sun is shining bright and all is well. This is far easier than being stuck in your head thinking about how you are feeling. The benefits of making art about your emotions helps to externalise the way you are feeling but it also connects you to your heart where your feelings reside. It gets you out of your head and your intellectual space. Each art or creative expression brings with it a metaphor. It creates a vivid image to explain a complex idea or a complex situation, which we consciously cannot always make sense of enough to articulate in language. Not only is this so powerful but often a quicker way for a person to understand their challenges better and then work in a creative way to find solutions.
Check out my Art For Wellness Boxes which includes a comprehensive booklet including loads of simple exercises to build connection with yourself but also just to try out what art therapy is. It includes all the materials you'll need to get started
Every Mark is a Metaphor for Life
What I love so much about art therapy is that often just the process of making art is therapeutic in itself. It is relaxing, fun and provides a mindful state of being. At first, your drawings and images may feel childlike but the more you engage in the art-making process, the more you can learn techniques, choose colours and materials that suit you and your style. Art therapy allows you to be in "flow" (and I'll speak about this concept in a further blog post). Being "in flow" means you are so immersed in an activity that time stands still and all your anxieties and thoughts fade into the background. As you can imagine this is a great solution for those of you who are overthinkers.
Benefits and Advantages of Art Therapy and Creative Expression
Art Therapy helps with:
Creative problem solving
Resilience
Organises cognitions and memories
Mastery
Mirroring and repair of disruptions in attachment
Non-threatening process of trauma
New ways of coping and communicating
Attunement
Sensory based experiences
One of the things about art therapy that I love and why I keep practicing in this way, is the creative problem-solving and resilience that it helps people to develop. I also find that when I use art therapy with my clients in clinical practice, compared to talk therapy, there is a far deeper attunement between the therapist and the client. This can help repair disruptions in attachment that may be present from childhood challenges. It's just a wonderful, relaxing, often fun way of coping with everyday struggles and challenges and a non-threatening way to process trauma. In future blog posts I'll give you some simple art therapy exercises for you to try.
If you ever engage with some of these small exercises and feel like Art Therapy may be an approach you would like to take for therapy, then please don't hesitate to contact me to book a one on one session either online or face-to-face
Until Next Time...
Now you may be wondering about the art materials you can use and why art therapists would recommend them.
In my next blog: The Neuroscience of Art Materials
"Keep colouring outside the lines and finding your inner peace! Happy creating,"