ART THERAPY

While doing therapy on your own is always your first choice, there may be
times when a specialist is required.
A medical professional like an art therapist is going to be able to work with
you through emotional problems and help you learn how to cope with your
concerns.
While this doesn't seem like it would be something which would affect your
health directly, sorting out your emotional health often leads to health in
other areas.
But many people aren't interested in going to a shrink and talking about their
problems – and this is fine.
In the art therapy sessions, you can focus more on expressing those feelings
and problems in another way. Whether by drawing, sculpting or simply
sketching your ideas, you can begin to understand how your mind is
processing the world around you.
The therapist can then work to figure out what the real problems are and
help you to change your thought process through other pieces of art.
And don't worry: you don't need to be a professional artist for this to work.
Art therapy is defined as a form of expressive therapy. Therapists offer
another way of conversing with their patients through the use of paints,
chalks, or other types of media.
The main thought process behind art therapy is that there is healing in the
way that the brain changes when it does something artistic. Thus, when
someone creates a painting of their illness, they might be igniting the centers
of the brain that can activate a healing response.
But it's not just the artistic process that allows the client to reap health
benefits – within the art itself are answers to the problems of the person who
is creating the art.
Certain symbols and images will repeat themselves in the art therapy process
and signify different issues.
For example, repeated pictures of the family can tell the therapist that there
is something to explore in relation to the family dynamics. Pictures of the
client by themselves might indicate the fact that they are lonely, etc.

While art therapy is mainly used in psychological settings, patients benefit in
numerous ways:
• Increased confidence
• Lowered stress
• Reduced anxiety
• Less chance of depression
• Enhanced communication skills
• Better social skills
• Potential for a stronger immune system
The art process taps a different part of the brain than logical thinking and
discussion. In that way, the patient is able to tap into the creative aspects of
'solving' their disease.
Related to art therapy are numerous other expressive forms of therapy:
• Dance therapy
• Music therapy
• Drama therapy
• Inscape therapy
When you are in an art therapy session, you might begin by talking about the
issues you are having. As you are talking, the therapist is looking for clues
as to how you might feel more comfortable getting to the root of your
troubles.
They might have art tools set up around the office which might call to you
and then you might be asked to create an image or a form that represents
the way you feel about your particular issues.
After you are done creating, you and your therapist would talk about what it
means. Having the outside opinion of your art helps you focus in on details
that you hadn't even thought of – but that are relevant to the healing
process.
For example, recognizing that you picture yourself as much larger than you
actually are will show you the differences between your reality and actual
reality. In cases of eating disorders, art therapy that entails drawing an
outline of the body help the patient see how their actual body shape
compares to their drawing of what they feel their body looks like.
Art therapy is a way to express your feelings so that you're not holding them
in and causing your body to become sick.
You can find numerous art therapists in day care centers, rehabilitation clinics
as well as in nursing homes and traditional therapy offices. Each art
therapist has a specialty or certain mediums that they like to use in their
sessions, so if a particular art style appeals to you, try to find a therapist that
practices with that style.