What is Art therapy, and how does it work?

Art therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that uses creative techniques to work through problems. It is not the usual drawing or modeling, the task is not to make a masterpiece, but to reveal oneself.

Art therapy is suitable for preschoolers and seniors; for dealing with attention problems in children to working through PTSD syndrome and phobias. In the session, patients draw, do exercises and thereby part with psychological problems.

Literally, art therapy means treatment through drawing (painting). Art already has a healing effect because it fulfills human needs for self-expression and self-regulation. It is said that when working with paints, paper, plasticine through their creative works, people manifest and discover new sides of personality.

The process helps a person to better understand themselves, express thoughts and feelings. Negative emotions are manifested in a suitable form, experienced, transformed, after that one can experience relief from difficult situations. Creative activity gives life interest and fills it.

The use of art therapy gives people the opportunity to express themselves, convey emotions and states, and gain a deeper understanding of the inner world. This allows for positive changes in terms of intellectual, emotional and personal growth. Art therapy also opens up the possibility of discovering talents you never thought you had.

It is a powerful stimulus that helps to boost self-esteem and self-development. In the process of creating, we get rid of the load of negative thoughts and depressive moods and shed the burden of emotional distress. It is similar to meditation, which promotes relaxation and clears the mind. What is particularly gratifying is that the process is available without age restrictions, there are no contraindications, and artistic skills are not an important factor.

The main value of art therapy is its ability to balance a person's mental state, improving their level of self-expression, self-knowledge and introspection. Through art, one can express and experience all their feelings and emotions on a symbolic level, including love, hate, resentment, joy, anger, fear and frustration. It is important to note that all of this happens in a safe way.

A person, engaged in drawing, coloring, composing, reading stories, sculpting figures, not only solves specific tasks in a narrow sense, but also acquires the ability to see situations from the outside and develop a deep understanding of his life. He answers eternal questions about his identity, the meaning of existence, core values, purpose, truth, and realizes his significance and role in the world.

It goes beyond simply treating specific symptoms and resembles the principles of holistic medicine. It addresses the big picture and seeks to heal the whole body.

Everyone has an innate capacity for creativity, but as they grow older, many lose it. They forbid themselves to dance, paint, play with clay and hold back their creativity, resulting in blocked emotional expressions and restricted lives. At some point, everyone faces the questions, “Who am I? What am I?”. Creative self-expression can awaken powerful creative emotions and release sensual impulses.

Using art as a means of self-actualization is a painless method of showing emotions. Art therapy has no restrictions or contraindications, which means it is safe and can help relieve stress. It is a natural method of therapy where negative feelings become positive feelings. Painting classes give a person strength, confidence and help them find a way out of difficult situations.

The use of art therapy improves self-esteem and develops the ability to adequately perceive oneself in society. During creativity many hidden problems come out and can be solved painlessly. In this way painting helps to detach oneself from problems and emotions, to look at them from the outside.

Unspoken thoughts that we repress often accumulate in the body, which can lead to physical and neurotic disorders. However, by broadcasting feelings through creative mediums such as drawing, writing, and dance, one helps oneself to get rid of unnecessary blockages and stay alive. Self-expression through creativity is the way to oneself, the way to successfully build a life. In the process of art therapy a person transforms his subconscious into a visual image. Everyone wants to express themselves. When creating something, one can experience satisfaction, as if to discover oneself, and find harmony within.

• Art therapy is a comprehensive branch of psychology, which allows both the detection of abnormalities, the study of the patient and the identification of points to be worked on, as well as correction and prevention. It is necessary to ensure maximum sensitivity and effectiveness of all actions, regardless of the patient's age, social status, etc.

There are different circumstances in which art therapy techniques, methods and techniques can be applied:

• Crisis situations, including depression, high anxiety, psychotrauma, profound loss, PTSD;
• psychosomatic problems;
• addictions and co-dependency;
• conflicts within and between people;
• emotional burnout syndrome;
• dissatisfaction with self, partner and family relationships;
• fears;
• low self-esteem;
• difficulties in expressing emotions and communication, etc.

Art therapy can be used in many different fields due to its versatility and flexibility:

• in family psychotherapy;
• in work with gifted children;
• in group and individual psychotherapy;
• to help special patients, such as autistic children, children with ZPD and HIA, those who need behavioral correction, require psychological/pedagogical support;
• to assist patients in psychiatric clinics;
• to work on the rehabilitation of the elderly, including those living in nursing homes and similar institutions.

Art therapy does not have strict contraindications, but there may be some limitations. Some art therapies are not recommended for working with patients diagnosed with bipolar personality disorder or those who have recently suffered a stroke. In these situations, it is important to consider the qualifications and experience of the practitioner.

Art therapy is a type of psychotherapy where the main goal is not to produce artwork. In the process, the participant should not focus on the combination of colors, notes or technical aspects. His or her creativity is directed towards other goals:

• To manifest;
• to realize;
• project;
• transform;
• to process emotions, feelings;
• empathize;
• form or change attitudes, goals.

The art therapist does not judge the final result of the work, it does not matter to him how successful the picture turned out to be. He pays attention to the manifestation and analyzes the level of openness of the patient, assesses whether he managed to share his thoughts, fears and overcome them.

There are different directions of art therapy work depending on the tools used:

• Drawing therapy - active drawing on different surfaces: on sheets of different sizes, fabric, wood, asphalt, wall. Watercolor, gouache, pencils, crayons, wax pastels, etc. are used. Reactions to finished drawings are studied in passive form.
• Music therapy is a process that involves creating music or listening to prepared pieces. In active creation, common instruments such as drums and maracas are often used.
• Dancing therapy - a form of expressing emotions through dance and body movements. Predominantly based on an active method of work, as its basic principle is to fully involve the person in the process.
• Puppet therapy is the practice of creating different toys and practicing with them. Through them it is possible to act out scenes and express thoughts and feelings. This is an active direction.
• Drama therapy is a practice that involves acting out and exploring important issues on stage. This is where group art therapy is most effective.
• Phototherapy includes the creation and study of pictures, work with ready-made images.
• Sand therapy is a process in which the patient draws with this material on a special table. Here more individualized approaches are used.

Therapy with children from the age of 6 (some therapists can accept from the age of 4) is recommended, as before this age their symbolic function of consciousness is in the process of formation, they do not yet have the capacity for abstract thinking. The parent can attend the session as an active participant in the process or act as an observer.

For adolescents, such psychotherapy can be particularly useful because they are actively seeking self-expression and have already mastered certain techniques such as drawing, modeling or composing to a greater extent. However, they may have difficulty fully recognizing their emotions, desires and goals. Art therapy techniques are ideal at this age. Parents are not usually involved in the session.

Everyone has the ability to express themselves creatively, but it can fade as they grow older. Adults often limit themselves with routines and false inhibitions, not allowing themselves to dance, draw or fear of getting dirty with clay or plasticine.

Due to suppression of emotions and blocked thoughts, various physical, psychological and neurotic disorders can occur. Through the expression of emotions on the canvas, dance floor, people are freed from psychological and somatic blocks, contributing to their healing through accessible methods. There is no comparison with others in the sessions, the works are not evaluated, as it is not a painting lesson.

In Europe and in the West, the practice of art therapy of emotions of elderly people is widespread. Groups and centers are created for them, which use treatment approaches accessible to everyone. The time of maturity is a great opportunity to fully immerse oneself in one's hobbies, stop the hustle and bustle and start living life.

Here you are invited to assemble a complex composition using a series of symbolic patterns that have a symmetrical structure.

1. First you build the base of the mandala, consisting of several concentrically arranged circles.
2. Then each figure is divided into two equal halves, and points are drawn on the circles through equal distances using a protractor.
3. Next, radial lines from the center are formed through them.
4. Then you start drawing by filling the sectors one at a time with the chosen element. You do this by starting from the inner circle and progressing to the outer circle.
5. After filling the space from the center to the first circle, you trace the outline of the drawing and move on to the next sector.

One of the simplest techniques. Take a simple or colored pencil and start drawing strokes on the paper. You can start from the edge, gradually painting the whole sheet, or you can do it in any order.

Listen to your feelings: do you like the process, do you want to press harder, outline the shape or change the color. Color in general is emotionally important, so pay attention to whether you originally chose a plain or colored pencil. If colored, what color.

Keep drawing and sketching strokes until you feel like stopping. Pick up a new sheet of paper if you need to. And at the end, notice the shapes your drawing has formed into, or the colors you chose. Think about what those colors mean to you, and that will reflect your emotional state.

Let's take a slightly more complicated technique. It will help you extract your feelings and thoughts about yourself from the unconscious and put them in their proper place.

One of the main censorship barriers formed in the psyche, arises from society and our desire to be accepted. That's why from an early age we begin to contrast our desires and other people's, to separate our real selves from ourselves in the eyes of others. We change, adjust, and eventually bury what makes us who we are.

Make a mask out of white paper:

• On one side, write words that will symbolize you in other people's eyes - how you think they see you, what they think, what feelings you evoke in them.
• The other side is the personality that you hide from everyone, suppress, that doesn't meet the expectations of others.
• Analyze what you have written on both sides. What do you like and dislike? What would you like to move “outside”? How would you like to behave if there were no people watching you?

Maybe you've noticed that when you write a text on social media or for yourself, you can thus spill out the emotions that overwhelm you? However, before you put the text into the public domain, you may censor it and maybe even feel unpleasant about it. Such moments are important to pick up on, too.
The technique can be applied in different ways. It can be a free flow of thoughts, or a given topic, such as a problem. Write as if you have no shame for your thoughts. Let yourself go, set a timer for 10 minutes and start writing.

This text will be for you alone. It may contain unexpected thoughts, profanity, shouting, and strong emotions that you have been suppressing. Even without analysis, such a text fulfills its main function - to defuse your emotional state.

Art therapy is one of the gentlest and most accessible ways to understand yourself. Try these techniques on your own, but with serious problems, you should definitely consult a specialist.

For drawing, you need to take one sheet of paper for two people. If you are uncomfortable because of the lack of rules, you can stick to the following: one partner depicts only curved lines, and the second - straight lines, each has its own colors or a specific group of shades, at the same time a person tries to repeat the drawing of the other.

Group participants choose the color that best reflects their personality, and then find a person based on the color they chose. After pairs create a “color conversation” on one sheet of paper, trying to keep their lines parallel to the other participant's lines. Alternatively, be creative in responding to a drawing created by your partner, using different shapes, spots, different colors to convey the emotional content in the conversation.

Here is an example. Depicting a quarrel, alternate drawing, trying to continue the line started by the other person. Create simultaneously, freely leading your line in any direction or trying to lead your line parallel to your partner's line, and change color after a certain interval of time. Keeping the same conditions, use the other hand when drawing. Several pairs are placed against each other along a long sheet of paper and start a “conversation” with the partner opposite, then engage in a “conversation” with the people on the left/right side.

One observer sees the other drawing and seeks to develop the theme in his thoughts by sharing his associations with the artist. The one has the right to use this in his or her own way. There are other ways: a person tries to copy the drawing of another, a third person watches the work of both, after which the participants change places.

Drawing takes place in turn by each partner, and then they move to work simultaneously. There is an alternative: using three colors for two, display the nature of their relationship in a shared drawing. Pay attention to the use of the sheet space, similar to the previous one, but with a change of colors at a certain interval of time. This time, use the collage technique and choose paper of a particular color to create the overall image.

While drawing, try not to talk and work at the same time. Try to respond to your partner's actions. Alternatively, draw silently at the same time, each using a different color and starting to draw with eyes closed. Then watch and finish the composition together. A theme is chosen before starting; aim to create a coherent picture.

Everyone draws something with their eyes closed and then, drawing on associations with existing sketches, together make a finished image. When finished, make up a story based on it.