When you hear art therapy, you might think of kids doing, for example, a paint class to help them correct a pencil grip. It’s much more than that. The mother of art therapy, Margaret Naumburg, believed that the creative process can bring out thoughts and feelings you might have repressed from others and yourself, helping to promote healing.
THE BENEFITS
“Creativity is a wellspring and you can always tap into it,” says art therapist Leah Guzman, author of the book Essential Art Therapy Exercises. Art therapy can improve how you handle conflict and manage stress, It can enhance social skills and help you understand yourself better.
Researchers have also found that art therapy can be helpful for children struggling with disabilities, special educational needs, chronic asthma and general life challenges.
Related article: 5 reasons why therapy could be helpful
GETTING STARTED
Art therapy techniques can be used at home without a therapist. The goal is not to create a masterpiece but to express yourself freely. Here are ideas to get you started, by Guzman and by Deborah Farber, who runs the art therapy department at New York’s School of Visual Arts.
• Create a safe space
Make or draw a physical version of what a safe space means to you. “Consider things like your emotional needs, physical boundaries, and things that inspire safety and comfort,” Farber says. With her clients, she uses materials such as fabric, cardboard, wire and wood. If you don’t have supplies, try drawing or create a Pinterest mood board of photos and art you find.
• Colour a feeling wheel
Identifying and naming an emotion is often the first step in dealing with it. Guzman recommends a feeling wheel. Draw a circle and dividing it into eighths. Write one emotion in each section. Pick a colour for each feeling and fill it in.
Which feelings did you write down first? Which are you feeling now? Did you give two emotions the same colour? What does this mean to you? Are there more positive emotions or negative ones on your wheel?
• Make response art
If you have lyrics, a poem or quote that you connect with in some way, use it to create art. The point is to make physical your emotional response to the words. Why did you pick these words? How do you feel as you create the art? What are you trying to capture?
• Get into some craft-ivism
People have been using hand-made objects to express their views for ages. Working through a craft (like a small cushion cover) allows you to slow down and think about what matters to you, Farber says.
• Walk for inspiration
Go for a walk and pick up objects that interest you. Make something with them at home.
Related article: 3 fun painting techniques for kids
“Creativity is a wellspring and you can always tap into it,” says art therapist Leah Guzman, author of the book Essential Art Therapy Exercises. Art therapy can improve how you handle conflict and manage stress, It can enhance social skills and help you understand yourself better.
Researchers have also found that art therapy can be helpful for children struggling with disabilities, special educational needs, chronic asthma and general life challenges.
Related article: 5 reasons why therapy could be helpful
GETTING STARTED
Art therapy techniques can be used at home without a therapist. The goal is not to create a masterpiece but to express yourself freely. Here are ideas to get you started, by Guzman and by Deborah Farber, who runs the art therapy department at New York’s School of Visual Arts.
• Create a safe space
Make or draw a physical version of what a safe space means to you. “Consider things like your emotional needs, physical boundaries, and things that inspire safety and comfort,” Farber says. With her clients, she uses materials such as fabric, cardboard, wire and wood. If you don’t have supplies, try drawing or create a Pinterest mood board of photos and art you find.
• Colour a feeling wheel
Identifying and naming an emotion is often the first step in dealing with it. Guzman recommends a feeling wheel. Draw a circle and dividing it into eighths. Write one emotion in each section. Pick a colour for each feeling and fill it in.
Which feelings did you write down first? Which are you feeling now? Did you give two emotions the same colour? What does this mean to you? Are there more positive emotions or negative ones on your wheel?
• Make response art
If you have lyrics, a poem or quote that you connect with in some way, use it to create art. The point is to make physical your emotional response to the words. Why did you pick these words? How do you feel as you create the art? What are you trying to capture?
• Get into some craft-ivism
People have been using hand-made objects to express their views for ages. Working through a craft (like a small cushion cover) allows you to slow down and think about what matters to you, Farber says.
• Walk for inspiration
Go for a walk and pick up objects that interest you. Make something with them at home.
Related article: 3 fun painting techniques for kids
SCRIBBLE, JOURNAL, SOOTHE
In The Art Therapy Sourcebook, therapist Cathy A. Malchiodi describes exercises you can try at home.
• Scribble with your eyes closed
Relax for a few minutes. Tape a large piece of paper to a smooth surface, close your eyes and scribble for 30 seconds. Take a close look at your picture and find an image in it. Add details to make it clearer and name it. What does the art say to you?
• Keep a journal of spontaneous images
Paste or create images. Write down a title for them. Add the date and a few words about your work. The more you do this, the more you’ll see similarities in a theme, colours or shape and develop “your own unique way of working with images and symbols”.
• Create a self-soothing book
You can use images to create positive sensations. Use sheets of paper and bits of coloured paper (cut-offs or pics from magazines), scissors and glue.
Related article: 4 boredom busting hobbies
Sources: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com, https://arttherapy.org, https://www.self.com, https://psychcentral.com, https://www.heysigmund.com
In The Art Therapy Sourcebook, therapist Cathy A. Malchiodi describes exercises you can try at home.
• Scribble with your eyes closed
Relax for a few minutes. Tape a large piece of paper to a smooth surface, close your eyes and scribble for 30 seconds. Take a close look at your picture and find an image in it. Add details to make it clearer and name it. What does the art say to you?
• Keep a journal of spontaneous images
Paste or create images. Write down a title for them. Add the date and a few words about your work. The more you do this, the more you’ll see similarities in a theme, colours or shape and develop “your own unique way of working with images and symbols”.
• Create a self-soothing book
You can use images to create positive sensations. Use sheets of paper and bits of coloured paper (cut-offs or pics from magazines), scissors and glue.
Related article: 4 boredom busting hobbies
Sources: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com, https://arttherapy.org, https://www.self.com, https://psychcentral.com, https://www.heysigmund.com
DOING ART THERAPY AT HOME
Reviewed by Edgars Mag
on
May 06, 2022
Rating:
Reviewed by Edgars Mag
on
May 06, 2022
Rating:
