Art Psychotherapy

It is widely believed that an individual is depressed due to the non-functioning of the creative side of his brain. It is also believed that when an individual enters the stages of depression, the creativity of the brain is almost marginalized. How about a technique which involves the creativity of the brain of the individual who is suffering from depression? One can be sure that even if depression is not cured completely for the individual, he would get creative with his skills. In most cases, creativity of an individual is found to be a very good self-tool for individuals looking to cure depression.

Art Psychotherapy is based on the concept that an individual heals faster if he is involved in the creative process of making art. Art therapists have successfully used this therapy for individuals to cope better with stress levels, work through trauma and optimize their relationship with family and friends.

What is the purpose of Art Therapy and how is it used to treat individuals for depressions?

Much like other psychotherapy techniques, Art Therapy focuses on improving mental health of an individual. The end objective of Art Therapy is to ensure that an individual is creative at all times with chances of depression minimized.

Art Therapists use forms of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography to treat the individual suffering from depression. Art therapists have the ability to understand non-verbal symbols and metaphors that come across during the creative process of art making. Please note that some of these symbols and metaphors may be extremely difficult for therapists to catch when other psychotherapy techniques are used.

How can mental functioning be analyzed with the process of art-making?

There are many assessments at the disposal of art therapists which allow them to analyze how the brain of an individual functions. It must be noted that close to 80% of the depression cases talk less than normal and that is why it is so important for art therapists to read the brain of the depressed individual.

One of the most popular test assessments for art therapy is Diagnostic Drawing Series. Diagnostic Drawing Series is an art therapy assessment that is used in assessing a variety of mental and psychiatric disorders. Individuals are asked to draw pictures/images on an 18*24 piece of paper. The drawings are analyzed with the help of colors used in the drawing, placement of image on the piece of paper and many other factors.

Art Psychotherapy is one of the simplest, yet is an effective technique for a therapist to cure individuals out of depression. The simplicity of this technique is enhanced by its effectiveness in involving the creative side of the human brain to get an individual out of depression.