Table of Contents
What are the arguments for art therapy?
Art therapy has been proven to benefit people of all ages. In addition, a lot of research and studies indicate that using art as therapy enhances concentration and communication skills. Furthermore, it reduces feelings of isolation, resulting in improved self-esteem, self-awareness, and confidence. It can give you the opportunity to express your inner thoughts, while helping you to better understand and make sense of your emotions and your mental health. The benefits of art therapy make it a valuable process for adults and young people during the treatment of a wide-spectrum of illnesses and disabilities. There is increasing evidence in rehabilitation medicine and the field of neuroscience that art enhances brain function by impacting brain wave patterns, emotions, and the nervous system. Art can also raise serotonin levels. These benefits don’t just come from making art, they also occur by experiencing art. CLIENT BARRIERS TO ART THERAPY Clients belief they lack skills in art making. Clients fear of failure and receiving judgment. Unfamiliarity with the process of art making. Unfamiliarity with the process of art supplies. 6.3 Art therapists diagnose, treat, or advise on problems only in those cases in which they are competent, as determined by their education, training, and experience. It can be used for counseling by therapists, healing, treatment, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and in the broad sense of the term, it can be used to massage one’s inner-self in a way that may provide the individual with a deeper understanding of him or herself.
Why is art therapy not for everyone?
Art Therapy Is Not for Everyone While high levels of creativity or artistic ability aren’t necessary for art therapy to be successful,10 many adults who believe they are not creative or artistic might be resistant or skeptical of the process. studies suggest that Art Therapy Can Be very valuable in treating issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and even some phobias. it is a great way to express your emotions without words, process complex feelings and find relief. Art therapy is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational, and forensic settings – as well as in private practice, in workshops and small-group settings. Art therapy provides a safe way to approach traumatic memories through the use of symbols, which may facilitate consolidation of experiences by converting an artistic form, representative of emotions and reactions to trauma, into linguistic communication (Gantt & Tinnin, 2007; Morgan & Johnson, 1995). In fact, therapy can be harmful, with research showing that, on average, approximately 10 per cent of clients actually get worse after starting therapy. Yet belief in the innocuousness of psychotherapy remains persistent and prevalent. Other studies have shown that people report being highly moved by art with negative content, and the experience of feeling moved combines negative affect with an equal level of positive affect.
Is art therapy legitimate?
Art therapists are real clinicians with a real education and real training. They help people who are challenged with different medical and mental health problems as well as individuals simply seeking emotional, spiritual, or creative growth. Art therapy is a mental health treatment, also known as art psychotherapy. It utilises art materials to facilitate expression alongside verbal communication, although in some cases it may be solely non-verbal (dependant on the client group). In these studies, it was concluded that art therapy had effects that improve rehabilitation and reduce psychological distress in patients [34]. Different clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) include art therapy as an indication with recommended evidence. The report discovered strong evidence for the positive impact of the arts on physical and mental well-being. Another report by the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research also found evidence that art therapy effectively reduced depression and anxiety symptoms associated with psychological trauma. Many people benefit from Art, primarily because of its psychological link and also by using art therapy. It is known to help numerous older adults with memory diseases, as well as to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Art can also help with depression, anxiety, stress and trauma.
Why is art not a therapist?
It is not therapy. Therapy aims at transformation through understanding. Art aims at transformation more directly. When we make a piece of art about something we don’t understand, we come to understand it, or, at least, our relationship to it through our own experience—which is more full-bodied than merely cerebral. Individuals fear judgment, change, the unknown, and what they might discover in therapy; additionally, they’re too prideful to admit they need help. Additionally, some people doubt the efficacy of mental health treatment: They’re uncertain it will work or misunderstand how it works. A bond and trust are formed in therapy, yet the therapeutic relationship is a bit one-sided; while your therapist learns a great deal about you, he or she is less likely to engage in reciprocal sharing. This is different from a friendship, in which both parties mutually share who they are. A person who is a rigid thinker might be resistant to making the appropriate behavioral changes because she doesn’t agree with them. A person who has issues with unrealistic expectations and impatience might believe therapy isn’t helpful because he thinks he should make much faster progress than he is. “Some people have a very negative relationship with a therapist, which can put them off therapy for life, or it can make them quite ill.” One 2016 survey led by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that one in 20 people reported “lasting bad effects” from their therapy, with people from minority-ethnic and LGBTQ+ …
Why is art therapy better than talk therapy?
Traditional talk-therapy is also a challenge for individuals who have experienced trauma and have a difficult time verbalizing their experience. As an alternative, art therapy offers the space to explore and process the feelings, memories, and effects of trauma in their creations. Art therapy is a professional method of treatment that has its roots in psychoanalysis. Art therapists focus first and foremost on building a therapeutic alliance and trust with individuals so as to engage them at a deeper emotional level. Art therapy has been proven to benefit people of all ages. In addition, a lot of research and studies indicate that using art as therapy enhances concentration and communication skills. Furthermore, it reduces feelings of isolation, resulting in improved self-esteem, self-awareness, and confidence. CLIENT BARRIERS TO ART THERAPY Clients belief they lack skills in art making. Clients fear of failure and receiving judgment. Unfamiliarity with the process of art making. Unfamiliarity with the process of art supplies. Experience-based evidence There is clear, usage-based evidence of the positive effects of expressive therapies in helping treat children and adults who’ve experienced trauma, cancer patients, people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dementia and more. Arts and culture is one of the most dynamic methods and norms that can make human behavior change. It is able to increase empathy, trigger reflection, increase dialogue and help generate new ideas and relationships that can enhance expression of ideas and positive values.
What is the primary limitation of expressive arts therapy?
Limitations of Expressive Arts Therapy. One of the major criticisms of expressive arts therapy is the fact that the primary reason for healing is not clearly discernible. It is not clear whether healing occurs from the creative process or if it is due to positive interactions with the therapist. Perhaps one of the most common differences between the two is the overall goal, which is self expression. In other words, the main goal involving art therapy is to either communicate or express something, while the main goal involving therapeutic art-making is to either experiment or learn something. Some of the limits discussed concern our senses (our different perceptual modalities), some concern vagueness and fuzzy boundaries between different types of works of art, some concern the amount of human intention and intervention in the process of creation of an artwork, and some concern the border between art and … One huge reason art is not valued is because it is not accessible. It is treated not as a part of life, but as a non-essential feature of life, reserved for the few, but not for everyone. Art can and should be for everyone. By not valuing artists, we devalue art.