Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication.
As an expressive medium, art can be used to help clients communicate, overcome stress, and explore different aspects of their own personalities. In psychology, the use of artistic methods to treat psychological disorders and enhance mental health is known as art therapy. Art therapy integrates psychotherapeutic techniques with the creative process to improve mental health and well-being. The American Art Therapy Association describes 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. 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, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight."
The oldest of civilisations had carvings on walls of caves. Those depictions already had the implication of art being used for expressing , self healing and communicating. More advanced and defined terminology of art therapy was coined quite recently to meet the explanatory needs for the field of psychology that uses art for therapeutic purposes.
Art therapeutic:...in everyday life:
With the growing expansion of the meaning of art to incorporate almost every activity that is done...
art can be anything and everything. In Indian setting, having worked in the area from past many years has made me understand the meaning of art in everyday life.
we hear terms like...art of cooking; art of decorating; art of playing....
Has anyone realised.... woman cutting vegetables in a manner that brings a sense of achievement, is therapeutic...and of course...cutting vegetables thus becomes an art...not to forget that the work being done, is done in a manner that brings some kind of psychological benifit to the doer...
With the growing importance of principle of positive psychology focusing not only on the elimination of negative aspects but also enhancing positive psychological aspects in a person, similarly, art therapy not only focuses on the elimination of psychological distress, using it as therapy by the therapist in various psychological disorders, but also to cultivate a sense of harmony, self realisation and understanding and overall enhancement of a person in general.
As an expressive medium, art can be used to help clients communicate, overcome stress, and explore different aspects of their own personalities. In psychology, the use of artistic methods to treat psychological disorders and enhance mental health is known as art therapy. Art therapy integrates psychotherapeutic techniques with the creative process to improve mental health and well-being. The American Art Therapy Association describes 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. 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, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight."
The oldest of civilisations had carvings on walls of caves. Those depictions already had the implication of art being used for expressing , self healing and communicating. More advanced and defined terminology of art therapy was coined quite recently to meet the explanatory needs for the field of psychology that uses art for therapeutic purposes.
Art therapeutic:...in everyday life:
With the growing expansion of the meaning of art to incorporate almost every activity that is done...
art can be anything and everything. In Indian setting, having worked in the area from past many years has made me understand the meaning of art in everyday life.
we hear terms like...art of cooking; art of decorating; art of playing....
Has anyone realised.... woman cutting vegetables in a manner that brings a sense of achievement, is therapeutic...and of course...cutting vegetables thus becomes an art...not to forget that the work being done, is done in a manner that brings some kind of psychological benifit to the doer...
With the growing importance of principle of positive psychology focusing not only on the elimination of negative aspects but also enhancing positive psychological aspects in a person, similarly, art therapy not only focuses on the elimination of psychological distress, using it as therapy by the therapist in various psychological disorders, but also to cultivate a sense of harmony, self realisation and understanding and overall enhancement of a person in general.
