Art needs no words
In art we can allow ourselves to feel.
Express the unspeakable ‘stuff’ in colour, gesture & images.
Therapeutic Arts
Founded in a person-centred, humanistic and psychodynamic practice, therapeutic arts sessions provide a safe space to express and explore difficult emotions or challenging life events in a creative, nonverbal way. We talk about the client’s situation just as you’d expect in a counselling session, however, with an additional tool of using the arts; allowing the creative process to lead us together on a journey to healing and self-discovery.
Healing Effects of Arts on Wellbeing
Expressing the unspeakable
Do you find it hard to ‘talk’ about your feelings, lacking appropriate words or even understanding what exactly is going on inside you? Or perhaps you are shouting inside unable to make a sound…
Art allows us to express deep seated emotions which we may not even be aware of. It offers us a powerful alternative to spoken language, the visual language of colours, gestures and symbolic images. While we focus on the creative process, rather than the outcome, subconscious images naturally appear. Our psychological ‘wounds’ wish to be seen and heard. Once we give them a face and voice, their intensity subsides. They transform into pieces of art and begin to work on us therapeutically.
‘Fearful’, Finger painting, acrylics
Releasing inner tension
As a psychiatrist Bessel Van Der Kolk discovered, trauma doesn’t live solely in our brain but it lives in our body. It lives in our muscles and cellular memories. We need to engage our body in order to access and release the effects of trauma.
In art, this is achieved by engaging in kinaesthetic tension relieving activities which soothe the mind (e.g. large scale drawing & painting, fast movements, scribbling, scratching into surface, tearing, pounding clay.) This bodily movement leads us to a point of release. The destructive processes are akin to a physical digestion in our body, breaking difficult emotions apart and transforming them into a new, positive state. We feel relieved, calmer, lighter and even receive new insights.
‘Energy scribble’, Pastel drawing by Donna Torr
Recovering our sense of safety
In today’s world of sensory overload and ‘jobs to do’, our attention is being divided amongst various media and digital devices. It is becoming increasingly harder to find a point of stillness, safety and inner silence.
We may feel disconnected from our bodies and the physical reality of life, living instead in the unsettling limbo of our mind-land and the virtual space. This may also be a case for those who experienced trauma in their life. Having been injured by life events, you may feel unsafe to assume your rightful place in your body and physicality of life. Through engaging our senses, we connect to our body and the environment in a safe way, creating positive sensory memories. Art creates a refuge, a steady point of focus in a rocking, chaotic world. It turns our body into a safe shelter to be just us.
‘Touch’, Clay modelling
The feedback of the workshop was very positive, everybody loved the painting of the lanterns which we used for a meditation in the evening.
Manon from Yoga with Manon
Therapeutic art techniques
What art form are you drawn to?
Get in touch to discuss how therapeutic arts counselling can help in your situation.
Call 075133 60935 to arrange a convenient date & time. Alternatively, send a text or fill in the contact form.
