Exploring Identity and Self-Awareness through Art Therapy

Art therapy uses artistic means to treat psychological illnesses and improve mental wellness. Art therapy is based on the notion that creative expression can promote healing and mental health. People have relied on the arts for communication, self-expression, and healing for thousands of years. However, art therapy became a structured curriculum in the 1940s. Doctors noticed that people suffering from mental illnesses frequently expressed themselves via drawings and other artworks, prompting many to investigate art as a healing technique. Art has now become an essential aspect of the therapeutic area, with some diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using it.

Art therapy is the therapeutic use of art created within a professional partnership by unwell persons, traumatised or facing life issues, and people seeking personal development. People can raise awareness of self and others, manage symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences, enhance cognitive capacities and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art by creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes.

Art therapists are individuals who have received training in both art and therapy. They understand human growth, psychological theories, therapeutic practice, spiritual, multicultural, and creative traditions, as well as the healing power of art. They employ art in treatment, assessment, research, and consulting with other professionals. Individuals, couples, families, groups, and communities are all served by art therapists. Individually and as part of clinical teams, they provide services in various settings, including mental health, rehabilitation, medical, and forensic institutions; community outreach programs; wellness centres; schools; nursing homes; corporate structures; open studios; and independent practices.

Professionally facilitated art therapy efficiently supports personal and relational treatment goals and community problems. Art therapy strengthens cognitive and sensorimotor functions, builds emotional resilience, stimulates insight, improves social skills, minimises disputes and discomfort, and advances societal and ecological transformation.

Because art therapy allows people to express their sentiments on any subject via creative work rather than speaking, it is thought to be especially beneficial for those who feel disconnected from their emotions or sensations. Individuals who have trouble discussing or remembering terrible memories may benefit from art therapy. Recent evidence suggests that art therapy may help people with schizophrenia reduce some symptoms while trials are still being undertaken. The memoir Sybil and two films of the same name tell the story of a lady diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder who, through art, seems to better understand her alters and childhood trauma. Painting allowed Sybil and her changes to express their emotions and rediscover memories of the trauma, which could then be discussed in therapy.

Illness is frequently connected with high emotions, and tactile approaches, such as moulding clay, may give a haven from these emotions. These practices have also been demonstrated to help bring to light unconscious content, giving cathartic release and encouraging verbal expression. Research in which women with cancer were encouraged to participate in various visual arts activities and approaches discovered that they benefited in four ways. While the women initially faced illness-related challenges such as loss of confidence, sleep loss, and altered social relationships, they reported an increased focus on positive life experiences, increased self-worth, maintenance of social identity (rather than being defined by cancer), and an increased ability to express themselves after the study.

Almost everyone can use art therapy. In a world with many methods to communicate and express oneself, expressive arts therapy is yet another option. One of the primary distinctions between art therapy and other types of communication is that most other forms of communication elicit the use of words or language as a way of communication. As a result, humans are frequently unable to express themselves within this limited spectrum. One of the benefits of art therapy is the capacity to communicate one's feelings through any art. Though other types of expressive therapies exist (such as performing arts), emotive art therapy, as addressed here, often employs more traditional forms of art...such as painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, or any other kind of visual art expression is acceptable.