Methodology of art therapy

Art therapy or “treatment with art” is a fairly young direction in psychology. But today this technique has become very popular in work with both children and adults. Psychologists use it at consultations, doctors include rehabilitation in the program for various psychological and physical injuries. Some people use art therapy to relieve stress, improve mood or know themselves.  Through creativity, the methodology of art therapy will help to develop the personality of a person, restore the harmony of reason and feelings.

  What is art therapy

Art Therapy is called the treatment methodology, which is based on attracting a child or adult to creativity, artistic expression to improve his mental and physical state, as well as emotional well-being.

To date, the use of art therapy is very popular as one of the ways of exposing a person. Its main difference from other methods - a person can express his emotional state not only with the help of communication, but through various types of creativity. Internally “I” can be expressed in images created in the process of creative activity. It can be drawings, photographs, graphics, sculpture and many other types of art. There are more expressive methods of artistic expression, such as dance therapy, acting. In any case, art therapy allows not only to express your emotions, relieve stress and improve mood, but also analyze the state in which a person abides, give him an assessment.

What is art therapy for

Art therapy is used in cases of mental disorders and transferred psychological stresses, for speech impairment, motor function. It is actively used in combination with other methods. Recently, art therapy has been used for self-knowledge of absolutely healthy people. The methodology of art therapy allows you to remove negative emotions and calm down, to put thoughts and feelings in order, to regain mental harmony.

The technique of art therapy carries two main goals. If we consider it from the part of art, then this technique is designed to give a person the pleasure of the process, as well as reveal his creative potential. From the point of view of psychology, the methodology of art therapy has a therapeutic effect, helps to solve various internal conflicts.

The main tasks of art therapy:

1. Focusing a person’s attention to his feelings and sensations.
2. The creation of the most comfortable conditions under which you can tune in to your feelings and thoughts that a person is used to keeping in himself.
3. Help in finding the most acceptable exit of positive and negative emotions.

  Situations in which art therapy is used

Art therapy is used in many cases. This technique will help when you feel discomfort and cannot find a solution to a particular problem. If you turn to a specialist, he will help you understand your own feelings and emotions.

Art therapy has no contraindications, so everyone can safely start classes.

The range of problems in which the methodology of art therapy is used is quite wide:

• depressive states, apathy to everything, unwillingness to do anything,
• internal conflicts,
• the state of the crisis (age, career crisis, etc.),
• psychological injuries,
• physical injuries and further rehabilitation,
• anxiety, fears, phobias (including since childhood),
• losses,
• low self-esteem,
• various dependencies (alcohol, narcotic, game).

People who are faced with a particular problem can throw out the accumulated experiences and emotions with the help of artistic expression. You can do this even at home. With sessions of art therapy, all the attention of a person is focused on his own feelings and emotions. At the same time, it is not necessary to create masterpieces, the main thing is to bring your emotional state to balance.

In fact, the methodology of art therapy is based on faith that absolutely every person has creative abilities. And it doesn’t matter that not everyone becomes great artists, actors or poets. The main thing is that a person is characterized by a craving for the beautiful and the desire to create something unique to himself.

  What is the useful art therapy

The method of art therapy allows you to solve many problems that a person has encountered.

1. Helps express your feelings and emotions. Sometimes in words a person cannot convey his state of mind, evaluate it. Visual images do this task perfectly.
2. Art therapy is an excellent tool for combating stressful situations. If you feel an increasing tension, experience anxiety, take a sheet of paper, pencils or paint and just start drawing.
3. The methodology of art therapy copes with various kinds of fears and phobias. Therefore, art therapy is very effective when working with children and pregnant women.
4. This is a very good way of self -knowledge.
5. Art therapy reveals the possibilities of understanding the world.
6. Allows you to reveal their talents and develop their creative abilities.
7. Increases self -esteem, self -confidence.
8. If a person has serious psychological problems, a specialist using art therapy will be able to assess the patient's condition and prescribe effective treatment.

Where and by which art therapy is used

Art therapy has an effective effect on people of any age. It helps to get rid of negative emotions, increases its own self -esteem, teaches to independently find a way out of a difficult situation, develops creative abilities.

You can start art therapy at any time, since special preparation for this is not necessary. Various methods are used both individually and in group therapy.

Art therapy opens up great opportunities in the work of psychologists and psychotherapists with the patient. It is widely used to adapt disabled people in society. Recently, art therapy has been actively used in schools. Teachers can realize various functions, ranging from educational and developing to psychotherapeutic.

Methods of art therapy

In art therapies, many different methods that affect a person’s condition provide psychological assistance. They are based on various types of art therapy associated with creative activity. Everyone can choose their own method. All of them provide good help and at the same time do not require serious material costs.

If you cannot cope with aggression or anger, fell into despondency or just want to cheer up, art therapy will be a wonderful way to solve your problems.

 Isotherapy (patterned therapy)

One of the main and most effective methods of art therapy is therapy using fine art. First of all, this is drawing. The process and result are analyzed by the nature of the forms and lines depicted on the sheet, time spent on the drawing, predominant colors.

Isotherapy encourages the manifestation of creative imagination, creativity, helps to find your individual style. There are no certain rules and restrictions. Specific methods of isotherapy are selected by specialists depending on the patient's condition and his capabilities.

Music therapy as a subspecies of art therapy

It is based on the process of listening to music and independent music. It is known that back in the 19th century, the teachings discovered the fact that human emotions can cause changes in his breathing, pulse, biochemical reactions in the body. And various musical works have different effects on human emotions. When listening to certain music, you can free yourself from fears, tension, fright and other emotions.

Music therapy today is used even at the stage of intrauterine development of the fetus. With various associative connections that arise when listening to music, a change in the mental state of a person is possible.

Color therapy as a subspecies of art therapy

The use of various color images selected by specialists has a certain effect on a person. Today, there are many methods of color exposure. It can be meditation - a person looks at certain colors for a certain time. By the way, anyone who looked at the flame of the fire at least once for a long time could feel the effect of meditation. There is also such a method of color therapy as flowering. It is conducted by a psychotherapist using suggestion and reconstruction of a certain color atmosphere, which has a beneficial effect on the patient.

Color therapy as the technique of art therapy can be carried out not only with a specialist, but also on their own. It is enough to study what effect on a person this or that color has.

  Phototherapy as a subspecies of art therapy

Almost any photograph taken by you or other people causes certain thoughts, associations, emotions. Phototherapy-the method of art therapy, which opens the way to self-knowledge, solving psychological problems, contributes to the therapeutic effect.

There are such technologies of phototherapy as a slide therapy, a gallery of images, photo report, etc. It is used as a re-experience of negative experience, reflecting various situations in human life.

 Fairytale therapy (bibliotherapy) as a subspecies of art therapy

This methodology of art therapy helps to find a connection between heroes in a literary work and a person in real life-in behavior, character, etc. Given the diversity of forms, lightness and naturalness in the perception of bibliotherapy, it is a rather valuable tool for working with children (fairy -tale therapy). Such art therapy for children is used to correct their behavior.

Bibliotherapy as a treatment method has been used for a very long time. It was used to distract a person from certain thoughts. The technique is perfectly used in the treatment of neurosis. By reading books, the patient can find inner peace and return mental balance. Also, the method of bibliotherapy is also used in order to cause a surge of mental activity in a person to normalize physiological and mental processes.

Game therapy as a subspecies of art therapy

Allows patients to survive certain situations in the game, without changing their behavior skills. The game has a very strong impact on personality development. Therefore, play therapy is often used in working with children. It is an effective method of correction, taking into account the physical and mental characteristics of the child. This methodology of art therapy is used for indications such as isolation, behavior, phobia, bad habits, etc.

The capabilities of play therapy are unlimited, and during the game, children learn to interact with each other, to improve emotional and strong -willed spheres.

Sanding art therapy

It is a non -verbal form of psychotherapy, which allows you to communicate with oneself and with the outside world. This methodology of art therapy allows you to relieve internal stress, increase self-confidence and discover new development paths.

The forms of sand therapy include both simple pouring sand and the creation of prints and entire paintings using various objects.

The game in the sand allows a person to express everything that is difficult for him to explain in words, turn to his own soul and see what slip away in everyday thinking.

When interacting with sand and small figures from it, a person of any age brings closer to himself his inner world - begins to understand his desires, understand the memories and find the decisions of certain situations.

Art therapy-discovery of yourself (video)