Art Therapy

art therapy

To become more integrated, we need to engage both verbal and non-verbal intelligence, both rational and intuitive knowing. Art therapy is one of the creative modes to keep us away from cerebral, verbal, judgmental processes, and in the here-and-now world of imagination, intuition, inspiration. The paradox applies that in thinking less it is possible to know more.

This learning process can be a safe, visible, keep able, accurate way towards self-awareness. Words (talking about) can have a once-removed flavour; images offer more immediacy, and may enable the client to be less self-conscious, more spontaneous, at every level of development By making visible our images, we can tap into material from the subconscious denied to the forefront of our awareness, and gain valuable insights.

A spontaneous image can contain suppressed material, can have elements of hopes and fears; diverse aspects of the self, expressed symbolically, come to us from the subconscious, to be known, to be integrated. Images have very much the mysterious quality of dreams - something we fetch up from within, put out there, hardly knowing, at first, what they are about. We need to bring a kind of reverence, an awe, to our work with images. They have an aura of the 'as-yet-unknown', acquiring our respect.

Art is visible, keepable (unlike words, which we may forget) and can continue to offer up its meaning when we are ready to know it. We project something significant of ourselves onto an image. And in spontaneous 'Aha' moments, we know.

Working with an image can be safer than talking about 'me' - I am talking about me via the image, a gentler process than 'eyeball to eyeball'. Words become less censored, more spontaneous: 'right side of the brain' words, more likely to contain or reveal pertinent truths. An image is safe, as I am likely to see what I'm ready to see, at my pace. It may be quick; even in five minutes the essence of meaning can be revealed.

Images are a means of communicating for those with limited or impaired verbal skills, and for the articulate whose words can distract, defend, deceive. The spontaneous image is 'spot on'. It can be trusted.

The person-centred approach, working at the pace of the client, respects that time of readiness or unreadiness. If the client does not see what the picture shows, at this moment, the counsellor does not push, intrude; rather, accepts, lets be, moves on. Perhaps later the client will be ready, will know. Perhaps not.

Person-centred approach

I favour bringing the person-centred approach to the therapeutic use of art: there are disciplines where the practitioner is directive, may interpret, may suggest the meaning to the client. In contrast, the person-centred way, based on

the belief that the individual is responsible and capable of self-determination, enables the client to discover the message of the image, thus gaining self-awareness as well as moving towards a more autonomous way of being.

I remember, many, many years ago, when interpreting jarred for me: I was on a brief counselling course. I was required to tell my story in a one-to-one session with the facilitator. She gave me a lengthy interpretation. I was outraged and rejected it. Some four years on, in my therapy with a person-centred counsellor, I had reached a stage when I could own the interpretation of four years earlier, but at my pace, at any time of readiness.

Images are extensions of the self - made visible in symbolic art form. To have dialogue with such an image in a person-centred way, to reflect back aspects of the image - size, colour, position of shapes, use of material, the process of image-making, that which is missing - can help the client to connect, make bridges between the image and the self. Healing, growth and integration can occur at every level of development.

In my ideal world, every training course in the field of human development would have components of art therapy on their syllabus: from integrated courses to integrated practitioners to integrated clients

'Art Therapy Exercises' by Liesl Silverstone

Initial Consultation:

Subsequent Treatments:

Jo Smith

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