What is art therapy?

WHAT ACTUALLY IS ART THERAPY…

It’s like art and psychology got together.

Art therapy uses the art materials to connect to your feelings and the art therapist helps you make sense of this process.

Juliet King (Art therapy, trauma and Neuroscience, 2016) is a pioneer in using neuroscience to qualify art therapy and she breaks it down into three elements;

1) the process of art making which is healing and life enhancing.

2) the art materials and art methodology that facilitates exploring different types of complex emotional expression.

3) The therapeutic relationship which essential in the relational healing process.

The unique ability that art therapy has to transcend language is why at the mental space studios we listen very carefully to your experience at the art making table. Connecting this physical process to your spontaneous thoughts and feelings while making art helps you gain insight.

For example; What did you do when you became frustrated with an art material? Did that frustration happen quickly? Was that frustration underlying the whole art making time? Let’s look at the art work can you see the frustration in the lines, strokes or cutting?

This is the way we explore the mental clutter together using your reactions to the art making to guide us to the source of your distress.

Below is a trailer for a documentary about art therapy so you can see how art therapy is being used around the world.

If you would like to find out more about art therapy please contact us, come to one of our art therapy workshops or make appointment to start your de-cluttering today.

For more information on what actually happens in a session at the mental space studios please click on the individual art therapy session below.