Also called:
- expressive arts therapy
- creative arts therapy
Art therapy is used to help people express themselves and may help manage physical and emotional problems that can be expressed through art. It provides a way for people to express unspoken or unconscious concerns about their illness and their lives, to come to terms with emotional conflicts and to increase self-awareness. Art therapy uses art methods such as painting and drawing.
History
The connection between art therapy and health was first recognized in the early 1900s. Art therapy was first used in the field of mental health, when some practitioners realized that art might be useful in rehabilitating people with mental illness.
Around the 1940s, ideas from psychoanalysis and art were combined to develop art as a tool to help people release unconscious thoughts. An artist at the National Institute of Mental Health named Hanna Kwiatkowska translated her knowledge as an artist into the field of family work and used art therapy as an evaluation and treatment technique.
Over the years, art therapy associations have been established. There is a Canadian Art Therapy Association, and several provinces have a provincial art therapy association. The Association sets standards for art therapists. Registered art therapists have training in arts and in therapy techniques.
Use and claims
Art therapy is based on the idea that the creative act can be healing and can help people express fear, anxiety or hidden emotions and reduces stress.
Art therapy has been used with people with cancer and their caregivers, people with eating disorders, people with emotional problems and with other conditions such as chronic pain. Art therapy can help focus the person's attention away from pain.
Art therapy may also be used as a tool with children, who often have trouble talking about painful events or emotions. Art therapists claim that some children can more easily express difficult emotions or relay information about traumatic times in their lives through drawings.
How it is given
An art therapist works with people on a one-to-one basis or in groups. The therapist encourages the person to express feelings or emotions such as fear, anger or isolation through painting, drawing or sculpting or other types of artwork. Then the art therapist talks to the person about their feelings and emotions as they relate to their art.
This method can be especially helpful for expressing feelings or emotions that a person is having difficulty putting into words or that they may have suppressed.
In another form of art therapy, people look at art or photographs and talk with a therapist about what they see.
People do not need to be able to paint well or produce great works of art. Sometimes the therapist may ask the person to paint:
- their cancer
- how they see themselves after their cancer treatment
- how cancer has affected their relationship with their family
Art therapy can be a fun and creative way of dealing with unhappy and distressing experiences.
Many hospitals and treatment centres include art therapy as part of a person's care. It can be practised in many settings, including a person's home.
Summary of the evidence
Many practitioners have observed and documented benefits among people who have used art therapy. Case studies have reported that art therapy benefits people with emotional and physical illnesses.
- These case studies have included young children and adolescents recovering from burns, eating disorders, emotional problems, sexual abuse, grief and bereavement, and cancer. Art therapy can be particularly useful in children and adolescents to help them communicate their feelings about their cancer and treatment.
- Adult studies have included adults or families dealing with bereavement, addiction, a stem cell transplant and the management of cancer symptoms. Some of the potential uses of art therapy to be researched include reducing stress and anxiety, improving communication and controlling pain.
Research to assess the effectiveness of art therapy in reducing a broad range of symptoms in people with cancer is just beginning.
Potential side effects and risks
Art therapy is considered safe when conducted by a skilled therapist. It can be a useful complementary therapy that helps people with cancer deal with their emotions. Even though uncomfortable feelings may be stirred up at times, this is considered part of the healing process.