How to Heal Using Art
Explore how artistic activities can be used to promote growth and self-acceptance.
Art therapy is the therapeutic use of artistic activities to cause change, personal growth, and self-acceptance in people, thereby helping them with their psychological problems and mental health disorders (Schouten et al., 2015). It is one of several kinds of creative therapies, which also include music therapy, drama therapy, and dance therapy.
The chief difference between creative art therapies and traditional talk therapy is that much of creative art therapies is based in nonverbal experiences and in lived experiences (Schouten et al., 2015). Activities such as drawing, painting, or sculpting are understood to be a way to unlock important things to talk about but are also understood to be therapeutic activities in and of themselves. For example, while talking about one’s feelings about one’s family might be therapeutic, the process of grappling with those feelings while painting a portrait of one’s family is its own therapeutic intervention, too.
Because it can be such a different experience from talk therapy, art therapy is often used in combination with traditional talk therapies to try to increase the ways that a client can access and work with their important experiences and emotions (Schouten et al., 2015). For this reason, it can be found across many treatment settings, from residential and inpatient programs to therapeutic groups led by high school counselors to private therapy practices. Its role as a complementary of adjunctive treatment is well established – art therapy seems to augment the effects of standard psychotherapy in many of these contexts (Schouten et al., 2015).
Benefits of Art Therapy
Art therapists propose that the primary benefit of art therapy is that the artistic process of self-expression allows us to grapple in intuitive and innovative ways with our inner self, ways that we cannot achieve outside the artistic process (Snyder, 1997). While psychotherapy can help people access their hidden or painful thoughts and feelings, there is thought to be an additional benefit to expressing those parts of oneself in artistic or creative ways. Additionally, some aspects of ourselves that we may struggle to verbalize or fully comprehend can emerge through the creation of art, becoming clear to us thanks to this non-intellectual, embodied experience (Snyder, 1997). Since artwork is inevitably a form of self-expression, it is also a working-through of one’s ego, allowing for continual changes in how we see ourselves and our internal conflicts (Kramer, 1973).
Are all those sentences simply wishful thinking? There is plenty of research to suggest otherwise. One line of research focuses on art therapy for people with medical conditions, such as cancer; it has found that medical patients who participate in art therapy have a higher quality of life and seem better able to cope with psychological challenges associated with their diagnoses (Regev & Cohen-Yatsiv, 2018). Another line of research looks at art therapy with older individuals experiencing dementia. People with dementia, despite their psychological challenges, can create and enjoy visual art, and they appear to experience many positive benefits from art therapy, such as improvements in their neurological symptoms, their self-esteem, and their social interactions (Chancellor et al., 2014).
Art Therapy Activities
A common art therapy activity, especially with child clients, is the use of finger painting (Arlow & Kadis, 1993). An art therapist might tell the child, “Paint something that is important to you”, and then observe the child’s process and the nature of the artwork they create. Once they are finished, the child might be asked to talk about the painting or reflect on how it relates to their daily life.
Another common activity is to ask a client to draw a picture of their family doing something together (Gil, 1994). It is expected that this kind of activity will reveal assumptions and patterns in one’s family functioning – who is in charge, who is most involved or most peripheral in the family, and so on. Again, an art therapist will listen closely for how the client describes why they created the image the way they did.
A third activity often used by art therapists is the creation of masks (Andrews, 1992). This is often used to assess a client’s beliefs about who they are supposed to be – the face they must show the world in order to survive. Creating a mask can highlight the true self that a person is often hiding or protecting from the rest of the world.
10 Activities for Self-Healing Through Art:
Here are ten activities you can explore to use art as a means for healing and expressing your emotions:
Art Journaling: Use a journal to express your thoughts and emotions through drawings, doodles, or paintings, helping you process experiences and gain clarity.
Color Therapy: Engage in coloring activities using adult coloring books or mandalas, which can reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Collage Making: Create collages from magazine cutouts or printed images to explore and visualize your emotions and aspirations.
Expressive Painting: Use painting as a way to express deep feelings without the need for words, allowing emotions to surface and release.
Sculpting: Work with clay or other materials to sculpt objects, which can be a tactile and meditative way to explore and release emotions.
Dance and Movement: Incorporate dance or movement into your art practice, allowing your body to express emotions and release tension.
Music Creation: Write or compose music, using melodies and lyrics to articulate feelings and experiences.
Art Therapy Sessions: Participate in guided art therapy with a professional, using art as a tool for healing and self-discovery.
Photography: Use photography to capture moments, express perspectives, and focus on the beauty around you, fostering mindfulness and gratitude.
Storytelling Through Art: Create visual stories or comics that represent personal narratives, helping you to process and share your journey in a creative way.
In Sum
Art therapy is a great option for people who want to process things in their lives but have found traditional talk therapy is not to their taste or is not sufficiently helpful. Hopefully this article has given you a sense of what art therapy might look like for you or someone you love.
References
● Andrews, L. V. (1992). The masks of power: Discovering your sacred self. San Franciso: Harper Row.
● Arlow, J. A., & Kadis, A. (1993). Finger painting. In C. E. Schaefer & D. M. Cangelosi (Eds.), Play therapy techniques (pp. 161-175). Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
● Chancellor, B., Duncan, A., & Chatterjee, A. (2014). Art therapy for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 39(1), 1-11.
● Gil, E. (1994). Play in family therapy. New York: Guilford Press.
● Kramer, E. (1973). Art as therapy with children. London: Elek.
● Regev, D., & Cohen-Yatziv, L. (2018). Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018—what progress has been made?. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1531.
● Snyder, B. A. (1997). Expressive art therapy techniques: Healing the soul through creativity. The Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, 36(2), 74-82.