What is Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a whole brain and body-mind-spirit experience creating insight and transformation on a deep level. We thought in images before we learned to talk. Art Therapy taps our knowing and feeling beyond words and may be a kinetic-sensory experience such as scribbling for stress relief. On the other end of the spectrum, art therapy can be a cognitive exploration as you may draw a metaphoric image to represent a feeling or situation. NO ARTISTIC SKILL REQUIRED! Stick people and crooked lines are awesome!
What is a Session Like?
You will learn how to access, release and transform (A.R.T.) stress, inner conflict, trauma into healing through doodling, drawing, collage, painting, scribbling, constructing, modeling, and playing with all sorts of fun art stuff. A session may begin with a bilateral scribble drawing (using both hands to scribble) to induce relaxation, facilitate communication between the left and right hemisphere, and overall improve brain functioning. One of the first projects is often to create a vision to define a life of joy for you. Symbols and words are cut from magazines to represent goals and dreams such as a loving partnership, relaxation, good health, doing something you love, a specific vacation or goals such as completing a degree. This becomes a visual representation of your goals in therapy and serves to help define a life of joy specific for you.
The act of literally drawing out, modeling or or painting one's emotions, stress, trauma, etc. moves it out of the body to be released and transformed. Contrary to many people's beliefs, artistic ability is not something you are either born with or not. Art skills - drawing, painting, modeling, etc. - can be learned as a part of art therapy.