How Art Therapy Can Contribute To The Creative Process

By Deborah Murphy


People benefit from different types of therapy programs, depending on the situation. Some folks prefer to get something off their chest by talking about the issue. However, often they don't realize how involved the problem is and in a case like this the psychologist may suggest art therapy. This is something that has advance over the years.

This can especially relate to those people who have trouble expressing themselves with words. It may be difficult to establish trust or to get the communicative process going with someone new. However, this also relates to those people who have been abused and have a big block. Using some form of art can be therapeutic and allow one to express theirselves in a non-verbal manner.

There are many reasons why someone may struggle to express themselves. Sometimes they have trust issues because of a bad experience from the past. They may have been abandoned or neglected so it is difficult to know who to trust. This is especially true of children. This also relates to those folk who have been abused in their life and they simply can't talk about their ordeal.

A suicide patient may be able to convey what they are feeling in a painting a lot better than what they are able to tell the therapist. These paintings usually have symbols of hope that has vanished from their lives. There is a sense of heartache in the drawings, and this gives more for the therapist to work with.

This will also be a safety net for the patient. A therapist who is working with someone who has suicide thoughts always has to work on what is safe in their lives and this will bring them back to reality, and out of the negative mode. It has been proven by working in this creative process, the two parts of the brain start to do the healing work. This is something that talk therapy can't do.

Once the patient has completed the project, the therapist will then talk to them about it. They will discuss what it meant to them. The therapist may need to ask questions about certain objects in the painting and how they were feeling at the time. This should be something that they do on a regular basis for the best results.

Therapists have been trained to look for certain things and will sometimes talk to the folk about what they were painting or drawing and how they were feeling at the time. Sometimes it is feelings of rage, and other times it was hopelessness which were revealed in their work. This can relate to someone with suicidal thoughts.

Children also struggle to talk about certain issues and find that this can be helpful in schools. A psychologist may refer them to someone who can help them with this type of therapy. It is not only drawing and painting that they will be involved in. Often there is more of a variety and this is something to look forward to. Working with different textures can also help the brain and the mind in this process.




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