Contents
Art therapy, or how to learn to express ourselves without words
Psychology
This type of therapy helps, through the visual arts, to improve our mental health and relationship with the environment
Explain what the modern art It is a task so complex that it may seem impossible, because although we all know what it is, it cannot be limited to a simple definition. There are those who thought that art is everything, like Socrates, who said that art goes beyond our body, shows our soul, expresses our emotions and feelings; and for whom it was nothing: Plato considered it a mere copy of reality without value.
But, throughout history, art has accompanied man, from the first cave paintings to the present day. We cannot understand any society without its art, since it is always artistic expression has served as a reflection of an era and communication vehicle. And it is this last virtue, the capacity for expression that it gives us, which makes art gain value in other contexts.
In this case we are talking about the art therapy, which even with multiple definitions, is what we understand as “a therapeutic specialization that, through the arts, pursues the care and physical, psychological, emotional or social well-being of people.” This is how Julio Romero explains it, a doctor of fine arts, a degree in psychology and pedagogy. and coordinator of the master’s degree in art therapy and artistic education for social inclusion at the Complutense University of Madrid.
Using the “right side” of the brain
The psychologist Encarni Muñoz further simplifies the definition of art therapy, and explains that it is about training the ability to «outsource problems and the solutions through the right hemisphere of our brain, in order to let the left hemisphere rest, linked to the use of reason, information processing and language ».
This type of therapy is not focused on a specific type of patient, but is indicated, explains the art therapist Itahisa Mateo, from the Amarte Project, «for all kind of people, whether they suffer from some type of pathology or not, always adapting to the needs of each individual ».
Therefore, the spectrum of people who can benefit from this type of therapy is very wide. Professor Julio Romero comments that he can go from the smallest children to the elderly, and can be done individually or in a group. “It can benefit people with functional diversity, patients with a wide range of physical or psychological disorders, or for example people who want to have time and an opportunity for personal or social development and knowledge,” he points out.
“Make the invisible visible”
Itahisa Mateo explains that the objective of this type of therapy is to “make the invisible visible” through art: in some way “Recognize what is happening inside us through non-verbal communication”. “Art as therapy seeks to investigate the internal knowledge of being through aesthetic emotions and their expression, especially when the exercise of the word is not enough”, develops the professional.
Expands the benefits of this therapy model Julio Romero, who explains that it not only helps us to work on emotions, their identification and management, but also makes us develop interpersonal and communication skills, improve our social relationships, enhance self-esteem and confidence, reduce anxiety and stress and help us express feelings more easily or otherwise.
“Likewise, your own imagination and creativity are activated, which are ways to explore other ways of seeing and other attitudes in the face of difficulties and problems,” adds the teacher. For this reason, art therapy can also improve attention, concentration and memory, as well as elaborating in a symbolic way the pain associated with losses, personal or interpersonal conflicts, or difficult or traumatic situations.
«You don’t need any kind of artistic experience. The important thing is the process, the experience lived while doing the exercise and not the result, ”says art therapist Itahisa Mateo.
The importance of self-knowledge
Fostering self-knowledge is very important for the care of our mental and emotional health. «This health goes through self-analysis and self-knowledge», explains the psychologist Encarni Muñoz, who explains that «there are people who go to therapy without knowing themselves at all and living life from the surface, without delving into their feelings, their thoughts, in his internal world. For this reason, he affirms that art therapy helps “Give meaning to things” without the words and it helps self-realization, thereby “providing a way to help the person listen and understand themselves better.”
Julio Romero, warns, however, that it is important to understand that the arts “in themselves do not heal”, and that, their therapeutic value depends on “the conditions and the objective” with which they are used. For this reason, he appeals to the importance that this type of therapy must always be developed together with an art therapist, “who develops fundamental functions of guidance, testimony, listening, and that stimulates and responds to the artistic process and production based on his academic training and experience. professional”.
Beyond its benefits on our mental health, art therapy also can help us physically and cognitively. “Creation at the neurological level acts by creating greater brain plasticity and neural connections that are responsible for producing new ways of observing the world and therefore of acting, thus improving our emotional well-being,” says Itahisa Mateo. To close, the art therapist explains that, on the physical plane, it can help us “improve breathing and our body posture.”
Coloring mandalas: a relaxing activity, but not therapeutic
It is easy to find a multitude of “adult coloring books” for sale, featuring different patterns, such as the famous mandalas. Although it seems that these books may be a “kind” of therapy, the three professionals agree that this activity should not be confused with arte therapy, as they are different things.
“They can have value as entertainment or as a relaxing activity facing daily stress for people who are fond of them, as will other hobbies or ways of spending time. But these types of products are nothing to do with art therapy or with the use of art to serve people, “explains Julio Romero. For her part, the art therapist Itahisa Mateo explains that she does not conceive mandala notebooks “as art therapists, since they are something that has already been done, where the creation of the subject does not intervene». Even so, he points out that coloring mandalas can be relaxing entertainment, but what is really therapeutic is doing them.
The psychologist Encarni Muñoz explains that, although it cannot be included in art therapy, painting mandalas does can help us relax and acquire a state of calm. “A routine exercise like painting, where the same gesture is repeated several times, is relaxing,” he says. Likewise, he comments that these help us avoid “mental noise” as well as it is an activity that helps us focus on the present: “Listen to the noise of the colors when rubbing with the paper, notice the smell of wood in the colors , enjoy what you see and touch the paper… we incorporate all the possible senses while we paint the mandala and it helps us to think about other things », he concludes.