Art Therapy – The Aesthetic Healing Method

There are a lot of alternative processes of healing these days that have caught the fancy of people and only a specific percentage of the mass still relies on the hard bound medicines and surgeries. One such therapy is art therapy that heals you and improves your lifestyle altogether.

Since it is a relatively new concept you might be curious, enthusiastic or skeptical about it. Before deciding on its pros and cons, it is better to read this article and get a comprehensive knowledge about art therapy. Here are a few relevant details about this particular therapy which you may find useful.

art therapy

Art Therapy: What and Why?

Art therapy dates back to the 1940s when Margaret Naumburg, a therapist herself, defined art therapy as a specific part of psychotherapy. However, until recently, it has not been used that extensively.

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a method whereby the patient is encouraged to express their creativity through art. This is a therapeutic process that helps the release of mental pressure, stress, angst, depression etc. A professional art therapist’s job is to encourage people to express their self through the means of art and understand the expression, thereby helping in achieving mental, physical and spiritual well being of the people.

Why Art Therapy?

The next question could be about the objective of art therapy. The idea is that art therapy might be useful for various things like counseling, treatment, rehabilitation, psychotherapy etc. For different people, thus, it has different connotation. But broadly its objective could be defined as a process where one’s inner self is depicted which provides a better understanding of the person concerned. You need not be a brilliant artist in order to undergo art therapy, since the therapy does not really focus on the images you paint. Though the therapy might involve some basic training, but that is not the primary goal of the process.

Who can be an Art Therapist?

A very important part of the therapy, like all other therapies is the practitioner of the process of healing. They are supposed to interpret what you express through the medium of art. Thus they need certain kind of expertise. The American Art Therapy Association or AATA has made it mandatory for the therapists to have at least a Masters degree in the field of art therapy or a relevant field.

Do all the Art Therapists Follow the Same Process?

The answer to this is no. All art therapists have different techniques and style when it comes to treating the people. For example, some therapists use the Gestalt method that analyzes the whole picture in its present context. There is another popular technique known as active imagination There is also another approach known as the “third hand approach”.

These are the basic facts of art therapy which you should be aware of. Based on this you can decide if this therapy is suitable for you and act accordingly.