Myths about art therapy

Art therapy is one of the central areas of psychotherapy, known to one degree or another even to people far from psychology. Art therapy is popular in our country. But at the same time, it is surrounded by a large number of myths.

MYTH 1. Creativity itself is art therapy.

The goals and objectives here are exactly the same as in any other psychotherapeutic direction – work with a specific request of the client. “Just to draw” is only to draw and has nothing to do with psychology. In art therapy, drawing is a way of solving a specific problem.

Art therapy implies the obligatory presence of an art therapist who oversees the process taking place with the client. Therefore, the same drawing of comics or playing the violin at home is certainly a commendable occupation, but has nothing to do with art therapy. Otherwise, one would have to say that all artists are engaged in art therapy with themselves, and ballerinas in dance movement therapy … The power of art, of course, is healing – but in itself it is not art therapy. Salvador Dali, no matter how much he painted, did not become psychologically safer …

MYTH 2. Art therapy is when you draw.

However, art therapy is immeasurably wider, and it includes a variety of areas in creativity. In addition to working with drawing, this is modeling, music therapy, bibliotherapy (“biblio” – a book), fairy tale therapy, laying out mosaics, working with photography, creating dolls (of a variety of puppets, amulets), dance therapy and much more.

MYTH 3. In art therapy, something is necessarily composed.

It is not necessary to create new works, you can use ready-made ones. For example, in music therapy, a client can listen to the works of the classics – Mozart, Bach, and in bibliotherapy – to read excerpts from works where the hero experiences a similar situation and feelings – and it becomes easier for him (“I’m not the only one”).

MYTH 4. Must be capable of art therapy.

In fact, every person has the ability to be creative, it is like the ability to breathe and accompanies us all our lives. Another thing is that it is crushed in us, hence many problems arise. After all, as long as a person retains the ability to be creative, flexible, he will easily and quickly solve any difficulties – remember Ostap Bender! There are no hopeless situations for a creative person – in extreme cases, he, like Stirlitz in a joke, will exit through the entrance …

Therefore, the task of an art therapist is not to teach the client creativity, but to awaken this creativity. In all of us, there are just storehouses of creativity, which we hardly use. When we were children, we drew, and sang, and danced … And now we say: “I can’t”, “I won’t succeed”, “I have no abilities” … Alas, society suppresses creativity, and as it grows up in a child curls up and falls asleep. In some, especially severe cases, he even falls into a lethargic sleep. And, years later, he suddenly wakes up in the office of an art therapist and says: “Huh? What? Who called me? I’m here!” Now the client looks at his problem situation with a different look – a creative one. From this alone, the problems were not solved – but they are already easier to solve …

MYTH 5. If the client is a dancer, he needs to do dance therapy, and if a musician – music therapy.

Just the opposite. Art therapy works with all clients, the only exception is that a person does not have to be a professional in this field of activity. Because otherwise, he will follow the learned patterns, will create “as it should”, and not follow himself.

This does not mean that a professional is not shown art therapy at all: just with a ballerina you can sculpt from clay, and with a sculptor you can do fairy tale therapy …

MYTH 6. Art therapy is complete freedom. The client does whatever he wants and how he wants.

This is partly true, the client is free in his creativity … within the framework set by the therapist. That is, he can give specific tasks: “Draw your dream”, “Shape your resentment”, etc. After all, this is psychotherapy, and not a “Skillful Hands” circle.

MYTH 7. In art therapy, any creative tools are used.

Yes, the repertoire here is very wide – you can sculpt from clay and plasticine, draw with paints, pastels, sanguine … But! The specificity of each tool has its own deep meaning for the unconscious. Working with this tool, we kind of send a message to the unconscious – a kind of email. For example, clay easily changes its shape, and this is the email “Everything can be changed.” But you can’t redraw with a pen and a felt-tip pen, this is an email “Change nothing.” Now imagine: a client came to you with the words: “Everything is bad with me!” And if you let him draw with felt-tip pens, then thereby confirm this: “Yes, everything is bad with you, and you will not change anything.” But the flowing paint will say: “Well, it’s okay, everything can still change …”

MYTH 8. Any psychologist can do art therapy.

Yes, if he has received special training. Art therapy is not as easy as it seems – he asked the client to draw a picture, he said at the end: “Well done, how beautiful” – that’s all. Art therapy is trained specifically and additionally. So if you decide to go to an art therapist, then feel free to clarify where he was trained and how many hours are in his certificate. A Diploma in Basic Education in Psychology does not imply knowledge of art therapy, just as a high school diploma does not guarantee fluency in Spanish…