Why Art Therapy?
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
~Pablo Picasso
Hello Creative Soul,
Did you know that I'm also an Art Therapist?
What is it about creative expression that pulls us in, helps us feel connected, peeks our curiosity? I come from a family of creatives and art has been a tool for healing, expression, containment, processing and compassionate presence for as long as I can remember.
On the surface creative expression can feel grounding and calming. We can feel a sense of relief and release while creating. Science tells us that YES! this is in fact true. Research has shown that engaging in creative expression can shift our mood, open new possibility and perspective, enhance our sense of self, increase our self confidence and help support feelings of connectedness to self and community.
If we go a layer deeper (this is where an Art Therapist comes in!) we can use art as a bridge to connect a person's internal experience with their external world. We can begin to understand how a person experiences their world through their creative expression. Is it safe, anxiety provoking, filled with fear, avoidant, etc.?
Art therapy sessions can provide a safe, comfortable, nonjudgemental environment for our full, wide range of authentic expression. These sessions can serve as an opportunity to pull intense emotional experiences out of our mind and body and into something outside of self, for example: a painting, box, collage, mask or mixed media.
Creating some distance between self and the overwhelming emotion can help decrease it's intensity while creating new space for possibility, perspective, understanding and ways to cope.
Expressing in this way can help contain what feels like very overwhelming emotion. With some new perspective we are invited to turn towards our emotions and invite them in so we can explore, get curious, tend to and care for them.
Much of the meaning can be found in the actually doing. With the addition of verbal exploration we begin to integrate and understand on an even deeper level. As a result, we can help implement new ways to cope, increase tolerance for discomfort and help regulate.
Did you know I also see children, teen girls and women in
Individual Art Therapy sessions? I do!
If you are interested in learning more, please email to set up a call.