Therapeutic Art

Therapeutic Art

Just like comedy, people in the present generation have increasingly embraced GOOD art as food for the soul. It may be surprising to learn that there is a field of human experience where psychology plays an important role. That field is beauty and all things associated with it.

Art therapy is a form of therapy that encourages creativity and self-expression as vehicles to reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase awareness and help remedy trauma.

You do not have to be an artist to enjoy the benefits of art therapy. In fact, most of the exercises rely not on the final product you create but on the therapeutic, meditative ritual of the creative process __therefore, you’ll be intrigued by the process of relaxation through artistic imagination.

•  One of the beauties of art as therapy is the ability for a person to express his/her feelings through any form of art. Though there are other types of expressive therapies (such as the performing arts), expressive art therapy as discussed here typically utilizes more traditional forms of art…such as painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, or a variety of other types of visual art expression.

• The idea of beauty having a psychological value seems irrational to many. Ironically, the very foundation of art therapy is Freud’s theory of unconscious and it is built on assertion that visual images are the simplest and most natural form of human expression and experience.

   

        



The tenets of art therapy involve humanism, creativity, reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, and personal growth.

It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, managing behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight

Art therapy integrates the fields of human development, visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the creative process of moral treatment.