Table of Contents
What is expressive therapy theory?
The expressive therapies are based on the assumption that people can heal through the various forms of creative expression. Expressive therapists share the belief that through creative expression and the tapping of the imagination, people can examine their body, feelings, emotions, and thought process. Expressive art therapies allow an individual to release and express their own emotions in a way that often feels more natural. Thus, expressive therapies can help that patient to better connect with their own emotions, making it easier for them to understand and address the root cause of the issue. The field of Expressive Arts Therapy (EXA) was founded in the early 1970’s by Shaun McNiff, Paolo Knill and others at Lesley Univeristy Graduate School in Cambridge, MA. It emphasized an interdisciplinary or “intermodal” approach to the use of the arts for healing, based on an established psychological framework. The Expressive Arts is made up of three subjects – Music, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts. Students develop knowledge and skills in each subject. Expressive activity” means all forms of non-commercial expression that are protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which may include peaceful assemblies, speeches, protests, picketing, leafleting, circulating petitions, distributing literature, and similar expressive communications and activities.
What is an example of expressive therapy?
In an expressive therapy session, a trained therapist guides you through the process of expressing yourself through art. It’s usually a mix of different activities, but sometimes therapists focus on just one. For example, writing or keeping a journal might be better for someone who is new to therapy. Expressive arts therapy uses various arts—movement, drawing, painting, sculpting, music, writing, sound, and improvisation—in a supportive setting to facilitate growth and healing. It is a process of discovering ourselves through any art form that comes from an emotional depth. It is not creating a pretty picture. Expressive therapies are approaches that incorporate creative processes (e.g., art, drama, movement, music, writing, play, etc.) into the counselling process. Topics included in this Advanced Study Major include: The rise and evolution of expressive therapies. Appropriate for all ages, it can enhance a person’s emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and physical well-being. While no talent in the use of expressive arts is required, several modalities available within expressive arts therapy magnify and deepen the process. The practice of expressive play therapy is focused on helping children work through emotional upset by allowing them to express themselves through play. There are a variety of types of expressive play therapy including dramatic and fantasy play, sandbox play, and art-focused play. The Expressive Arts Area of Learning and Experience (Area) spans five disciplines: art, dance, drama, film and digital media and music. Although each discipline has its own discrete body of knowledge and body of skills , it is recognised that together they share the creative process .
What are the goals of expressive therapy?
It is a therapeutic means of dealing with emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, developing social skills, managing behaviour, solving problems, reducing anxiety, aiding reality orientation, and increasing self-esteem (American Art Therapy Association, 2004). Expressive arts therapy is a multimodal approach, combining psychology and the creative process to promote personal growth and healing. It is a therapy approach that is gentle, yet effective especially for those who have not felt relief or success with traditional psychotherapy. It helps build self-esteem, reduce anxiety, strengthen coping mechanisms, and improve social and community functioning. Supportive psychotherapy helps patients deal with issues related to their mental health conditions which in turn affect the rest of their lives. Expressive arts awaken a child’s imagination and creativity to help him discover who he is and how to engage his senses. They also bring a sense of calm to the body and positively impact mindset, interpretation of surroundings and emotional state.
Who started expressive therapy?
Lesley Professor Shaun McNiff, who established the Expressive Therapies program in 1974, calls it arts-based knowing. Expressive therapies came into a more prominent role in current culture with the arrival of psychiatry in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Modern expressive arts therapy emerged in the early 1900’s when psychiatrists began categorizing the spontaneously created art works of asylum patients. The field of psychology has a long and unfortunate history of stigmatizing mental illness. The expressive therapies are defined in this text as the use of art, music, dance/movement, drama, poetry/creative writing, play, water play and sand-tray within the context of psychotherapy, counselling, and/or rehabilitation. In expressive arts therapy, each client is encouraged to use multiple forms of creative expression to articulate their inner world, including drawing and painting, photography, sculptures using a range of materials from clay to paper mâché, music, drama and role-play, poetry, prose, and dance and movement. The goal of Expressive therapy is to promote healing and reveal any hidden truths or conflicts in a patient. The individual has no obligations in analyzing their own work because the goal is to help them by discussing the art in a non-judgmental manner and supportive setting. Some cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) principles useful to art therapists are problem-solving, modeling, relaxation techniques and mental imagery, stress reduction and systematic desensitization and/or flooding. These CBAT principles are discussed using examples from both historic and current writers.
What is the importance of expressive?
The expressive arts play a central role in shaping our sense of our personal, social and cultural identity. Learning in the expressive arts also plays an important role in supporting children and young people to recognise and value the variety and vitality of culture locally, nationally and globally. Painting, coloring, writing, making music, and making crafts are all creative activities. Creative expression helps children articulate their feelings and thoughts. They think critically about their world and practice visual communication. Young children learn colors, shapes, and sounds during creative play. Expressive features means elements evoking feelings (such as joy, sadness or anger) or ideas (such as memories of experiences, peacefulness or environmental concerns). Expressive skills. In VCE Drama, students use the expressive skills of voice, movement, gesture and facial expression to express and realise a character.