Art Therapy

Art Therapy

"The arts, as media of the imagination, are disciplines which give form and substance to our capacity to be who we are. Each artistic medium embodies the imagination in a concrete and specific way." (Stephen K. Levine) This quote is explaining that there are many different ways to look at and use art therapy in life. When people think of art therapy they don't know the other aspects rather than it is used in psychology. There are different things to look at when exploring art therapy; some of the different aspects are what it is, where it originated, and when it is used.

A question that is frequently asked by people around the world is "What is art therapy?" Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative processes of making art work to improve a person's physical, mental, and emotional health (Art Therapy blog). Art therapy is mainly used for a person who has a type of mental illness. Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, aided and assisted by their art therapist, use many different ways to create art. Some of these ways are art media and their creative process. The resulting artwork is used to explore their feelings, accommodate their emotional conflicts, stimulate self-awareness, manage the client's behavior and addictions, and help them develop social skills, help them to improve their reality orientation, reduce their anxiety, and help increase their self-esteem.

There are many stories about where art therapy originated but there is only one correct answer. For thousands of years art has been used as a tool and resource for communication. It has been used in many different ways. It is sometimes used as a way of group interactions, finding a resolution for different conflicts, diagnosis for different things and self-expression. The therapeutic use of art therapy has existed for many centuries with diversity. This diversity carries the varieties of artistic experience and needs around the world to the many different countries. It has been used as a symbolical conveyance to capture the inexpressible ideas or points in an image that was created by the client. Art has survived through time as a healing power for many people in today's world. One example of how art therapy has survived is through the Shamans. The Shamans still use carved figures to promote a relationship with the gods. Another way art therapy has survived is through the Navaho Indians. The Navaho Indians used medicine men, a traditional healer and spiritual leader among American Indians, to continue to heal with sand paintings. (Avery, Charleen and Mehl-Madrona Lewis E.)

There are many uses of art therapy. Art therapy can be used to treat many different mental disorders and psychological distress. There are many cases where it is used with other psychological