Art Therapy is known as a coping mechanism that helps promote self-expression and feelings through the uses of an artistic medium or concept (Seaward, B.L 2012). When art and therapy are combined it creates a means of creativity, wellness and healing. Art therapy not only promotes self- expression but it also helps patients relax through a creative means. This creative coping mechanism has determined its success rate through various experiments and case studies. An art therapy study was conducted in the United States that involved various students who were experiencing levels of anxiety one week prior to testing. This specific study involved 57 undergraduate students (Sadmire 2012). The art therapy activities included still life drawing, free form painting, coloring pre-designed mandalas, modeling with clay, collage making, and basic acrylic painting. Because of these specific activities the average score for anxiety levels decreased significantly once recorded after each of the art therapy activities (Sadmire 2012). Art therapy is a known stress and anxiety reducer because of the results of this study. This particular study proves that participating in even a short session of art therapy will reduce any sort of stress and anxiety levels, especially in college students (Sadmire 2012). In addition to the previous article this particular study involves the uses of clay and the act of clay making in relation to ball handling. Over the years there has been a fascination with the uses of clay as a therapeutic purpose. It is noted that the uses of clay is a great way to decrease negativity and improve moods (Kimport 2012). The act of clay handling releases tension and allows there to be a success rate with in the individual as far a... ... middle of paper ... ...tive focus. Art Therapy, 25(4), 164-169. doi:10.1080/07421656.2008.10129550 DiSunno, R., Linton, K., & Bowes, E. (2011). World Trade Center tragedy: Concomitant healing in traumatic grief through art therapy with children. Traumatology, 17(3), 47-52. doi:10.1177/1534765611421964 Henderson, P., Rosen, D., & Mascaro, N. (2007). Empirical study on the healing nature of mandalas. Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And The Arts, 1(3), 148-154. doi:10.1037/1931-3896.1.3.148 Kimport, E. R., & Robbins, S. J. (2012). Efficacy of creative clay work for reducing negative mood: A randomized controlled trial. Art Therapy, 29(2), 74-79. doi:10.1080/07421656.2012.680048 Sandmire, D., Gorham, S., Rankin, N., & Grimm, D. (2012). The influence of art making on anxiety: A pilot study. Art Therapy, 29(2), 68-73. doi:10.1080/07421656.2012.683748
This approach she felt was prominent during the art making portion of the session. Besides from the art portion of a session, Riley believed the verbal component of art therapy was important. Riley explored the stigma surrounding art therapy and the client's verbal expressions. From the book, Integrative Approaches to Family Art Therapy (Riley & Malchiodi, 1994), Riley states: “Hearing client’s language does not negate the process of looking at the art product. It is a synthesis of two creative means of communication.” Joining these two stories was key in Riley’s
Drawings and other self-generated forms of visual art produced by people suffering from mental illness sparked the interest of psychiatrists around the end of the 19th century. They were considered “outpourings of the mind in turmoil” (Rubin 6). Fascinated by these samples of artwork, psychiatrists began to study them in an attempt to better understand the creator and the illness. Art therapy is a fluid, adaptable and evolving field. Today art therapists employ a variety of methods and work in a variety of rehabilitation settings, but the focus of this paper is the use and benefits of visual art therapy in correctional settings. Unfortunately, there has been little research to measure the effectiveness of art therapy in prison. Researchers are still in the early stages of understanding what art therapy does, how it does this, and why it is effective. Through art therapy programs, prisoners are able to more fully come to know themselves and are therefore fore able to authentically participate in life and community as well as develop an ongoing motivation towards recovery.
Hinz, L. D. (2009). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for useing art in therapy. New York: Routledge.
For example, adolescents are often forced into therapy by their parents or school as a result of an inability to cope with stress in a socially acceptable way. Patients at this stage are too old to engage in play therapy, where therapists analyze a child’s behavior during play and when presented with toys. Also, patients acting out during adolescence are often too young to obtain the maturity to verbalize their emotions in a socially acceptable form. Art therapy is useful at this stage of development because similar impulses expressed in play therapy are expressed through drawings, meanwhile not requiring verbal communication. Art therapy introduces the mature defense mechanism of sublimation to the patient, guiding them to achieve better self control as they learn to communicate their impulses through art and talking about their art. A particular form of therapy is managed in groups, and adolescents are encouraged to engage in conversation about their drawings while they are creating them. This creates an environment of low anxiety, allowing patients communicate internal conflict and disregard their normal defense mechanisms that are used to conceal these emotions. The defense mechanism of sublimation is apparent in this process, as the use of color, composition, space and shapes to provide an
Trauma, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. In order to process and overcome a traumatic experience, most seek a therapist. This is especially true for individuals who have dealt with childhood sexual abuse. There are different types of therapy and therapists that exist that individuals go to. Art therapy is a kind of psychotherapy that uses art as it’s main technique of communications in order to improve the emotional and mental well being of the patients. It combines the areas of human development, visual art such as drawing, sculpture, painting and other kinds of art and the artistic process with counseling and psychotherapy.
My vision of Art Therapy was very vague. I always thought art therapy was a form of therapy for distressed or abused children trying to tell a story through pictures or drawings. The American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well being of individuals of all ages. Art therapy is a form psychotherapy that has been practiced for over sixty years and it has been promoted as a means of helping people who find it difficult to express themselves verbally (Crawford, et al., 2010). Art therapy sessions usually start with a form of relaxation such as deep breathing , progressive muscle relaxation, or setting an intention for the session ahead (Hart, 2010). Art therapy is used for several different types of people with diverse illnesses such as: Autism Spectrum Disorder, people living with HIV/AIDS, mental disorders and even Cancer. Studies show that art therapy can lead to increased self awareness of self, as well as improved ability to cope with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences (American Art Therapy Association). This form of therapy helps these patients express positive feelings that may not be easy to access in the midst of a fear provoking experience (Hart, 2010). Art therapy help people to identify their feelings, and resolve the issues associated with their illness. Although, my lack of knowledge on this therapeu...
Kramer, Edith. “The Art Therapists Third Hand: Reflections on Art, Art Therapy, and Society at Large.” American Journal of Art Therapy Feb. 1986: 71-86.
Psychotic features, borderline disorder, and autistic have all been study with the treatment being object relation therapy. The three disorders share in the issues that object relation therapy focus on such as a balance between internalization, externalization and modulation of affect (Henley, 1991). Research is also done on the “good” and the “bad” of splitting material which is a key subject is object therapy. Viktor Lowenfeld also used object relation in his research with clay modeling. He established in his research that children with multiple impairments could use clay modeling to create self-awareness, self-image, self-concept, and as a means to strengthen the relationship between self and others (Henley, 1991). He concluded that the use of art as an object in object relation therapy significantly helped in building self-awareness, strength, and image. Family therapy is another field of research in which object relation therapy have yielding tremendous results in help strengthen those who seek help. Efficacy in object therapy can bridge the gap between counseling and multicultural issues. Studies indicate that belief in a higher being and involvement in organized religion enhances feelings of personal efficacy among African Americans (Gurney & Rogers, 2007). It is believed that by using object relation clients can have a sturdier root in life. When ones grounding are sturdy through spirituality one can stand in the midst of mental
processes of art expression in therapy, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 21:3, 125-135
Pierson, M., & Wilson, H. (2009). Exploring Art as Therapy. In Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body, and Emotions: Theory and Practice (pp. 202-222). Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsly Publishers.
People from all around the world suffer from many different anxieties and troubles. They turn to things they enjoy so that they can forget reality and be somewhat happy or simply to communicate with one another. Most of the enjoyment is temporary and not sufficient, that is why they continue doing what they do. Creative Arts Therapy, also known as Expressive Arts Therapy, helps those who find themselves completely lost and have nowhere to go or anyone to go to. They can express themselves however they please. In order to better understand arts therapy one must have a knowledge of creativity, emotions and, of course, people.
Art can benefit the unhealthy as well. With 34,000 soldiers coming back from Afghanistan as proposed by Barack Obama, there are many who consequently have mental disabilities or post-traumatic stress disorder. To cope with depression, or other symptoms, many doctors have used art programs...
What is Art therapy used for? It provides an outlet for coping for some people who may be suffering for any type of illness, in Stanford Medicine It was used with cancer patients; with this therapy the Art Therapist will provide and use pictures, art supplies and visual symbols to help create a better understanding of what the patient is feeling and help address their own concerns or conflicts (cancer.stanford.edu). Some of the examples of art therapy could be coloring, painting, doodling, photography, etc. Art therapy is a very pleasant and fun activity but is not to replace treatment and medicines it is only there for the stress reduction, help relieve anxieties and to help the patient express emotions which they could not before, then after the patient is done with their art and pictures; they will sit down with a licensed therapist and go over what they see and why they took pictures of or drew what they did. As for the time being, there are no complications linked with patients and art therapy, ...
While comparing the number of scientific research and evidence for effectiveness collected for both the techniques, I found that there are many more scientific researches done on the effectiveness of expressive art technique for stress management. Moreover, expressive art has also proved beneficial during the treatment of critical illnesses such as cancer. Moreover, expressive art therapy enables one to express their feelings and emotions through art which otherwise would be difficult to express through words. According to me, both these therapies have proved to be extremely effective in helping people cope with stress. Yet, if needed to choose one, I believe expressive art would be the most effective stress management technique amongst the two.