“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” —Pablo Picasso
“Expressive art therapy integrates all of the arts in a safe, non-judgmental setting to facilitate personal growth and healing. To use the arts expressively means going into our inner realms to discover feelings and to express them through visual art, movement, sound, writing or drama. This process fosters release, self-understanding, insight, and awakens creativity and transpersonal states of consciousness.” -Natalie Rogers
Art therapy is a kind of therapy that uses art as a means of communication and le people explore and express their emotions and thoughts. This therapy is also known as expressive therapy.
In the process of the therapy arts, therapists use fine arts and performing arts to improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Fine arts and performing arts include drawing, painting and drama, dance, and movements respectively to improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being. In the process, the therapists work with individuals or groups using arts to create meaning rather than focusing on the end product. This process includes activities like creating stress painting, designing a postcard that one will never send, creating an emotional wheel, collage, doodling and scribbling, finger painting, photography, sculpting, working with clay, etc. Art therapy is more useful for people who cannot verbalize their feelings. This therapy is perfect for people of all ages because of its versatility.
Art therapy can help in treating a wide range of mental disorders and psychological distress.
Certain studies and institutions recommend art therapy for people suffering from schizophrenia (a long-term mental disorder of a type involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion, and a sense of mental fragmentation.) and other related conditions. People who face difficulties in learning, art therapy are great for them.
People suffering from Dementia (a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning). Due to art therapy, people use creative parts of their brain, which helps them to manage stress levels and restore a sense of personal identity.
People suffering from Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech, and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors). Art therapy helps people to distract and calm themselves and also improve their communication skills.
It also helps prisoners to help in their feelings. It can also be used for people suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Things to keep in your mind to participate in art therapy
• People do not need to have artistic ability or special talent. According to some researchers sometimes only the presence of art can play a part in boosting mental health.
• Art therapy is not the same as art classes. Art classes are focused on teaching techniques while art therapy is more about let people focus on their inner feelings. People do not need to create masterpieces in art therapy but they need to express their feelings with the help of color or anything they feel connected with.
• People do not need to have experience in arts for participating in art therapy.
In this pandemic like situation people are facing issues like stress, depression and mental health more than ever. To get out of these situations people started to do yoga and many more things. So here is the suggestion you can start art therapy at your home. You just need to practice regularly to overcome the issues. Art therapies can help you open up emotions you have been pushing back. The therapy forces you to notice them and work on them. So start playing with colors or dance or sing in your own way and let yourself express what you feel.
