Photo courtesy of the Art Speaks Art Therapy
Many of us are aware of the adult coloring fad.
Every bookstore has towering stacks of these coloring books, claiming to help reduce stress and have other therapeutic effects. You probably bought a few to give away as holiday gifts.
But art therapy is so much more than just coloring in a few mandalas before bed. It has become a respected technique for dealing with the emotional effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, loss, addiction, mental illness and more.
“With (art therapy), you think of kids and that art is something children do,” says Audrey Hook, who owns Art Speaks Art Therapy Services in northwest Columbus. “Anyone can enjoy it, even if they’re not an artist.”
Art therapy as a discipline was defined in the 1940s and, by the middle of the 20th century, hospitals and similar spaces, such as mental health facilities, began introducing art therapy programs.
While verbal therapy might work for some clients, others – especially those who might be nonverbal and on the autism spectrum – find the calming nature of art therapy more beneficial.
“Art therapy presents a tangible body of evidence that shows the progression you’re making,” says Molly Kometiani, president of the Buckeye Art Therapy Association, the Ohio chapter of the American Art Therapy Association. “You don’t have that body of evidence in other types of therapy. You can see how far you’ve grown.”
Hook has dealt with a lot of clients who already tried counseling and didn’t find it effective, but ended up having more luck with art therapy.
“There are a lot of things that are hard for us to find the words for,” she says. “(The clients) just don’t have the words to explain what they’re feeling. Sometimes, it’s easier to work through it in a symbolic way.”
Hook recalls one client who was selectively mute and on the autism spectrum.
“She was so restricted, physically and verbally, that she wouldn’t even grab a pencil to get started,” Hook says. “Through the use of art and building our relationship over the past year, she’s now spoken to me and acted in the art-making process. She’s feeling empowered, more confident and able to come up with brilliant ideas and really enjoy the process.”
Maryann Sender, an art therapist, works with her client Lisa Gannon. Photo courtesy of Buckeye Art Therapy Association
Art therapy can come in many forms, says Kometiani. It’s not just painting; there’s drawing, pastels, crayons, watercolor paints, clay, photography, jewelry-making and more. The physical aspect helps clients feel like they’re in control.
“You have a choice when you’re picking a color or a medium,” she says. “That sense of empowerment is great for those who are victims of abuse.”
Different types of mediums work for different types of clients, Hook says.
“(For) someone who has issues with boundaries – someone who is hard to contain – I might use something that’s more restrictive, like a colored pencil or a marker,” she says. “If a client needs to be pushed to express themselves more, I might use something fluid like paint or something soft like clay.”
Participants of Buckeye Art Therapy's Creativity and Healing for End of Life Workshop
Hook says there’s still a lot of research that needs to be done on art therapy, but it is scientific and evidence-based. For example, she says, through art therapy, clients use the left and right hemispheres of the brain and integrate nonverbal and verbal processes. This helps improve connections between neurons.
“There’s a lot of work that’s been done with people who have dementia and psychiatric issues,” Hook says.
Kometiani adds that some research has proven art therapy helps reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Right now, art therapy research is relatively new,” says Michaele Barsnack, program director of Capital University’s art therapy program. “What they’re really looking at and studying right now is neuroscience in art therapy.”
Photo courtesy of the Art Speaks Art Therapy
Researchers, she says, are looking at neural pathways such as the hippocampus and the amygdala, and how those parts of the brain are affected in the face of trauma, making talk therapy more difficult.
“They’re able to measure the ways the brain relaxes while using visualizations. The therapy they need is more experimental,” Barsnack says. “And art therapy is one of those therapies.”
Hannah Bealer is an editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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