Mindful Artistic Output
The best thing about art therapy is that it can be used to help anyone. Even if you have no interest in art or if you think you are the worst at it, it can still help you. The term art therapy is pretty self-explanatory. It is where we employ different forms of artistic expression to reveal hidden things about a client.
Art therapy can encompass drawing, sculpting, painting, colouring etc. This mode of therapy is particularly useful for children and people who are unable to effectively communicate with words. Art is in our blood. From the time of early men, we have been using art as a way of communicating information. Art has the power to bring the truth of being to the light. This property of art is utilized to facilitate healing and self-exploration in our clients.
Even if a person refuses to communicate about their fears, hardships and problems if you give an alternative method for them to express themselves, the results would probably surprise us. With the help of art, the person is allowed to explore themselves through their own creative process. We can examine their life problems, emotional issues and behaviours according to their artistic outputs. The making of the piece of art completely depends on the person’s mind and therefore it reveals a big part of their thinking process and personality. Whatever they are going through will be reflected in that piece of art. It will take a trained art therapist to analyse the piece and come to a well informed conclusion about the client’s mental health problems.
Children having academic problems, behavioural problems,social problems and trouble expressing themselves will benefit greatly with the use of art therapy. If the child has previously gone through a traumatic event, the same would be seen in their art. Art therapy is also a great way for adults to explore their own identity and improve their self awareness. It helps manage the symptoms of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, learning disorders, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, dementia and even helps with resolving relationship issues.