Therapeutic Art

Art therapy utilizes art- related techniques and activities in order to achieve a therapeutic goal. Despite that this, as a formalized treatment, is relatively new, art has a long history of being seen as therapeutic for the person, which is why it arose as a standardized therapy. Art in itself, outside any therapeutic environment, can be healing for the person, for a variety of reasons.
To begin with, art is a means to maintain the experience alive. In order to remember a happy moment, an important event, a powerful emotion, art is created. If this is seen from a historical perspective, it can be noted that history and art history merge and become interconnected, so as to form together the origins of the past. Similarly, the history of a person can be seen through a collection of his/ her creations- even through a collection of life- photos.
Moreover, art has been a means to communicate experiences and share them with others who might have had them as well. It is through art and non- verbal communication (at least not the specified one, when it comes to literature) that the true magnitude of an experience can be expressed, by being able to identify one's self with the artwork and detect the common aspects he/ she shares with it.
Art can also be therapeutic because it allows for an inner conversation. Art can makes us introspect, and makes thoughts and emotions that were vague and confused within us clear and understood. It helps the person in gaining a more solid view on his/ her inner world, and reflect upon that.
Furthermore, through art the person can achieve increased levels of psychological maturity. Art helps us identify differences we have with others, and allows us to interact with these through a protective lens, and even accept the other point of view. By that, the person can ultimately accept others and otherness in general.
In addition, art reveals an idealized aspect of life, which contradicts with the everyday living which is filled with sorrows, struggle and difficulties. In a first glance it may appear that idealization of artworks is unsuitable in a world where reality strickes harsh, yet it may be exactly what we need! Idealization leads to hope for a better life.
There are many more ways in which art can become therapeutic for the person, outside therapy itself. All these provide a solid background for the therapy, and can be applied to it. Art created in a therapy is usually kept, and it reveals the change that has occured in the person during his/ her time of treatment. The sharing of experience is a powerful tool to be used in group therapies, and it leads to new roots of communication, both when it comes to similarities and ro differences between individuals. Similarly, most of the content of art therapy is directed towards introspection, which can allow the person to make sense of his/ her experiences. Last but not least, hope is one of the greatest implicit goals of therapy: it is a first step towards change, and it can grow into people through interacting with art in a therapeutic setting.

Note: The picctures are taken from the novel Primal Screamer, by Nick Blinko, singer and bass player of Rudimentary Peni. The drawings of the book are his own as well.

Literature: N. Tsergas, 2014. Therapeutic Approaches Through Art, Athens, Topos; J. Armstrong, A. de Botton, 2013. Art as Therapy, Athens, Pataki.