Expressive arts therapy bridges the gap between consciousness and unconsciousness in the mind. Places that are blocked and unable to be accessed can be brought to light even when traditional talk therapy fails. Learn more about the benefits emotive art therapy can bring people who are willing to do the hard work.
Getting Started
Emotive art therapy is appropriate for people of all ages and it can enhance many areas of a person’s life. Several modalities may be used to help deepen the process of finding out who a person is through emotional expression. Other ways to do this include:
- Encouragement of the unfolding unconscious: people often benefit from the unconscious coming to the surface of awareness using media like painting, psychodrama, dance and sculpting, to name a few. Through letting go in the creative process, a portal opens up which focuses on listening, watching and observing what cannot be explained in words. A person’s voice comes through in the chosen media and way it is portrayed.
- Enhanced communication: Another benefit that makes expressive arts therapy inviting is the depth of spoken and unspoken communication which results. The process makes way for additional communication to be known which may help bring forth dialogue about new feelings. This also can enhance the meaning and provide an externalized venue for further discussion. When speaking of grief, for example, the use of color, lines and symbols can be helpful to express visually what is difficult to articulate in words.
- Expressive arts externalizes feelings and emotions: Giving a place to deal with feelings can be scary for some people. It can also bring depth and life to feelings and images. One example is having a person draw an image of current feelings which may elicit information that was not previously in a person’s consciousness. One of the benefits is to externalize the process so a person can witness and be an observer of the process. Talking about an experience, for example, and explaining it like watching a moving can remove the physically painful symptoms and response that risk internalizing the pain and turning away from processing it properly.
- Awakening happens: one of the most obvious benefits of expressive arts therapy is that it creates a spark in the imagination. The awakening process allows the person to experience something new. Like an a-ha moment, a new discovery. It can lead to new things and bring light to darkness, open a doorway to unarticulated feelings and shed light on the past. It can provide a new language and foster existing language when current circumstances and words cannot describe the unfolding process.
Many other deepening and enriching experiences can take place through expressive arts therapy. It supports a richer, more vibrant therapeutic experience. Each modality is unique and supports a person in dealing with underlying issues to get at the root and move forward. The beauty is in the process, not the final end product.
The Villa helps individuals from all walks of life deal with underlying issues causing addiction to bring clarity, purpose and forward direction. If you are struggling to move forward, call us. Let us help you move from being stuck to achieving personal recovery goals.