Theories of Art Therapy~
Throughout my experience I have been drawn to many different theoretical perspectives. In my academic paper for Theories of Art Therapy I wrote, “as I think about the therapist I want to be, I believe it would be a combination of Psychodynamic-Transpersonal-Existential-Gestalt-Person Centered therapies (Skordilis, 2020).” My perspective now is not very far off, and I would include somatic therapy, ecotherapy, and psychedelic assisted therapies to that list as well. I think as a therapist its important to have an eclectic approach to therapy because one perspective isn’t going to work for all clients. I think it’s important to be inclusive in care and ultimately let the client be the guide on the therapeutic journey, as the relationship evolves it will become clear what theories/perspectives might become most helpful.
“This view of life, this devaluation of pain is one of the major obstacles in our patients’ search for meaning in their lives....this is a difficult task, for it goes against our culture. To honor, to value the pain of another is, of course to value ones own pain. ”
However, I also feel that it is important to have some guiding theoretical beliefs to be a north star when working with clients. For me that is the existential theory as developed by Victor Frankl and Bruce Moon. Existential therapy is focused in the here and now. Its aim is to help clients achieve their full potential and discover meaning in their lives. Existentialism believes that people find meaning in relation to others. In other words, by being in relationship with community or the therapist a client can explore the driving force of their own life because they are supported. This support allows for openness, honesty, and compassion.
What I find important about existentialism is that it is rooted in empowering the client. With existentialism a client decides the course of their life. They are given the invitation to rewrite their own story and discover a purpose that is in alignment with their true self. Moon also sees creating art as a way to build empowerment within a client, because it fosters ownership and responsibility for what they create. The therapist’s role is to merely hold space and be an equal supporter of the relationship.
Moon encourages making art with the client, and simply being a sounding board for the client with little leading or guiding. The existential art therapy experience honors the pain of the client shifting from victim to hero consciousness. Using art to creatively explore pain alongside a therapist leads to a feeling of connection and decrease in loneliness. It also opens the doorway to mindfulness, change, and expression. Moon describes art making as alchemy, a place where pain can become transformed through art making and creative expression, which is something I resonate with deeply.
Sources for quotes and writing:
Moon, B. L. (2009). Existential emptiness and art. Existential art therapy: the canvas mirror (pp 43-62). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Rubin, J. A. (2016a). Art therapy: Humanism in action. Moon. B, Approaches to art therapy: theory and technique (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.
“An existential art therapist encourages clients to create from the difficult places of their lives with a deep faith that artistic
processes will succeed in transforming painful thoughts, feelings, and images into something new.”
All images made in Techniques and Materials, Winter 2022. Image 1: Monster, kinesthetic component; Image 2: Perceptual and rigid materials; Image 3: Cognitive timeline; Image 4: Body tracing, the whole ETC gamut; Image 5: Mask, sensory, kinetic, symbolic components.
Expressive Therapies Continuum~
The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) is a way to assess how clients interact with art media to process information and form images. The ETC organizes our experiences with art materials into sequential levels of processing from simple to complex with an overarching Creative component. The three levels of the ETC are Kinesthetic/Sensory, Perceptual/Affective, and Symbolic/Cognitive. Within each level clients are asked to engage in different directives with the goal to activate the components within the levels in hopes of moving to the next level and achieving creative flow and embodiment.
I feel that the ETC is a useful in assessing where a client is at creatively, and where we are most likely to have the best impact when engaging with art material and art making. For this reason, I may use the ETC in the first few sessions of working with a client. I also find the ETC as a useful tool for when a client is feeling stuck. An example could be a client who feels very dissociated and is having trouble being present I might use directives involving the kinesthetic or sensory components to bring the client into their body and become more physically engaged with the materials. When a client is experiencing anxiety or depression it might be useful to use the affective component so that they can connect and express their emotions.
The artifacts shown in the carousel above were all made in Techniques and Materials course with directives specific to the ETC. For me what was powerful when moving through the components was noticing what components I was most drawn to, and which ones were challenging. I found myself drawn to kinesthetic, symbolic, and affective components and most resistant to the sensory components. I feel like a good example of all of those working together is my body tracing. The structure of the ETC and directives within each level were helpful for me as someone who can become overwhelmed by more open directives, I found I could enter a creative flow state more within the structure.