What is Art Therapy?
My Description…
Art therapy is like talk therapy except the focus is making art and talking about that. Art is used in the therapy session to help express emotions, problems and what is going on internally for you. Art helps people who find using words difficult to express their experience .
Official Description…
Art therapy combines the creative process and psychotherapy, facilitating self-exploration and understanding. Using imagery, colour and shape as part of this creative therapeutic process, thoughts and feelings can be expressed that would otherwise be difficult to articulate.
You do not need any art skills to participate in Art Therapy.
What is Special About Art Therapy?
Art is a visual language which means it can give people ways to express emotions in a non-verbal way through images, colour, and metaphors. This is helpful for those who have a hard time expressing themselves verbally like children, neurodiverse folks, seniors and those who have experienced trauma, and who have lost some cognitive functions. The reason is art therapy uses the right hemisphere of the brain which is where trauma memories are stored.
Often personal stories, metaphors and images are easier to talk about because it gives us a little bit of distance from the personal pain attached to events, memories and our stories. Unpacking our experiences and emotions through this way is helpful because it is a less direct and therefore more gentle way of processing sensitive experiences.
Art can help us connect with our subconscious which holds information about how an interaction or experience may be affecting us under the surface, in a way that often causes us pain. In art therapy we bring that thing to the surface to be expressed and processed. This helps in breaking the cycle of the subconscious thing affecting our behaviour.
Art Therapy Helps Us…
- express, explore and accept our emotions
- solve problems
- build self-awareness
- reduce anxiety and depression symptoms
- find healing
- find connection/belonging (to God, self, others)
- find personal growth
- build self-esteem
- with more specific issues that would rest under the categories above
Have More Questions About Art Therapy?
The information above just scratches the surface of what Art Therapy is and it’s potential to help. If you are curious to learn more about how art therapy, let’s chat over a free 30 minute consultation.
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- art therapy
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