* What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses imagination, art-making and creative processes in the context of a therapeutic relationship. It is recognised in the UK as a Profession Allied to Medicine, registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).
Art Therapy in particular is able to embrace non-verbal and pre-verbal dimensions of experience, providing varied media for their exploration.
* Why Art Therapy?
‘Art’ is been used to express & represent powerful aspects of human experience, individual and collective, throughout millennia & across cultures. Most adults are spontaneously creative as children; enjoying their marks made in sand, mud or paint, in the course of natural play & development.
Accessing this faculty can bring freshness & freedom of expression to complex life issues. In art therapy we exteriorise thoughts, feelings & imaginings in ‘matter’ & then reflect upon them, at a distance in play or contemplation, with or without words.
The imaginative faculty & art-making can be tools for self expression & a powerful resource for self-support. Art may help in identifying underlying causes of illness, both mental & physical & be useful during treatment & recovery from illness.
*Benefits of Art Therapy
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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, and trigger a host of circulatory problems (e.g., high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and cardiac arrhythmia). When used alone or in combination with other relaxation techniques such as guided imagery, art therapy can be a potent stress reliever.
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Symptom relief and physical rehabilitation. 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.
