Art therapy
The use of artistic methods to treat psychological disorders and enhance mental health is known as art therapy. Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression through visual art media can foster healing and mental wellbeing.
The purpose of art therapy is to utilize the creative process to help people explore self-expression and, in doing so, find new ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills. The creation or appreciation of art is used to help people explore emotions, develop selfawareness, cope with stress and boost self-esteem. It may also aid in resolving conflicts and reduce distress.
People have been relying on the arts for communication, self-expression, and healing for thousands of years. But art therapy didn't start to become a formal program until the 1940s. Doctors noted that individuals living with mental illness often expressed themselves in drawings and other artworks, which led many to explore the use of art as a healing strategy. Since then, art has become an important part of the therapeutic field and is used in some assessment and treatment techniques.
Professor Semir Zeki, a neurobiologist at the University College of London, affirmed that when we stare at great art, our brain is stimulated as when we fall in love. Art brings increased levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that aids in controlling the brains' reward and pleasure centers.
Scientific studies have proven that art appreciation improves our quality of life and makes us feel good. When we create art, we elevate our mood, we improve our ability to problem solve, and open our minds to new ideas. According to Dr. Shelley Carson, art's ability to improve our mood broadens our attention and allows us to see further possible solutions to creative problems.
After an assessment of the client's strengths and needs, art therapy may be offered in either an individual or group format, according to which is better suited to the person. As the end goal of art therapy is one of healing, the activities an art therapist chooses to do with clients depend on a variety of factors such as their mental state or age. Art therapists may draw upon images from resources such as ARAS to incorporate historical art and symbols into their work with patients.
As the mental health field grows and more research is done, we expect to see art therapy blossom into the mainstream, with more and more condition-specific treatments developed. Although art therapy is still growing, there is an ample amount of evidence suggesting that it has very real and has very powerful benefits that should be considered by anyone seeking effective ways to address serious mental health issues.
The purpose of art therapy is to utilize the creative process to help people explore selfexpression and, in doing so, find new ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills.