ART THERAPY
Art Therapy is therapeutic technique that uses different forms of art to treat emotional and mental health problems.
Before my research I thought of Art Therapy as only painting, but I have found that Art Therapy includes various forms of art such as dance, music and drama.
In my interview with a person that has experienced Dysthymia, she has mentioned Art Therapy as one of the main sources of her treatment. She adopted Drama and Dancing in her daily routine, which helped her turn the negative energy inside her into positive.
As found on the Mind website, individuals who have been treated with Art Therapy describe their experience as
"When I couldn't talk without choking on my tears, the therapy gave me a voice and a way to express myself without
having to talk." (Mind, 2014)
For some people expressing their feelings can be a difficult task. This is where Art Therapy comes into practice, it helps individuals going through a mental illness or emotional crisis connect with their inner self and communicate without verbal expression.
In a research paper on Art Therapy the writer mentions
" Art therapy, like classic psychotherapy, makes the unconscious conscious which leads to insight and change. Repressed psychic material becomes the stimulus to the art product and will surface through the creative process." (M. Finnegan, 2009)
The therapy allows individuals to express themselves by channelizing their emotions into artwork and helps them overcome their symptoms.
Video 3
The video shows how Art Therapy is beneficial for people undergoing Depression. The Art therapist talks about how Art Therapy has firstly helped identify individuals experiencing emotional instability and identify the origin (reason) of the depression that would later help in the healing process.