Art therapy takes the “aargh” out of life

As individuals, we have unique ways of dealing with trauma and mental-health challenges, a fact recognised by art, drama, music, and dance therapists, who facilitate healing in a way that resonates best with their patients.

With the dominance of screens and social media, we live in a society where creativity isn’t actively encouraged, says art therapist Gabriela Mendelsohn. “Yet, we all have this innate need to create, something we really crave without always realising it. Art therapy gives that space to people to access their imagination.”

There’s a misconception that imagination is important only for children but it’s something that we all need, she says, which is why art therapy is equally beneficial for adults. It delves into the power of imagination, something espoused by Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology.

“His theory is that by using your imagination in therapy to create and personify images and make them talk and move, you can bring about healing, going deeper into the unconscious than just talking,” Mendelsohn says.

Before completing her masters in art therapy in London, Mendelsohn trained and worked as a community art counsellor in South Africa. “My first experience doing art with patients was with Holocaust survivors, which really emphasised the power of art therapy,” she says. Though conventional therapy was beneficial for some, many survivors found it painful to talk about their trauma.

“Art therapy was a more subtle way of addressing what they went through. It gave them a space to be creative around certain experiences, allowing them to express themselves in a way that they hadn’t previously. Many felt empowered by it.”

Now an art therapist in private practice, Mendelsohn says art therapy can either be directive or non-directive. Directive therapy is when the therapist gives the patient a specific activity to do aimed at addressing a specific issue or achieve a certain goal. In non-directive therapy, the patient leads the session, selecting the art materials that speak to them and creating absolutely anything, which they then discuss afterwards.

“We don’t interpret the artwork,” Mendelsohn says, “rather build a relationship where together, we can reflect on the piece and see what comes up.” In and of itself, art is cathartic, she says. It’s about expressing yourself in a creative platform, not about making a masterpiece.

Drama therapist Romy Michelson also speaks of the value of using one’s imagination to work through psychological issues, which she does “using the practical methodologies of drama for healing”.

“The range of people who benefit from drama therapy is huge, from adults who want to delve more deeply into their own emotional well, to kids who have social, emotional, or behavioural difficulties,” she says. “It’s the whole gamut of need. What’s different is the way it’s dealt with. Drama therapy doesn’t rely only on talking, it’s the metaphor and the mechanism of drama that allows the person to feel comfortable before they can go into their emotional world.

“This could be done through puppets, image cards, or different media, projecting what’s going on for them onto something other than themselves.” While we learn to be less imaginative as we grow older, it’s often in that creative space that we feel most comfortable to explore, she says.

“There’s a wonderful transfer between the imaginative world and one’s own reality,” says Michelson. “Each session is tailormade to that specific person – they set the tone. It’s a delicate balance between being patient-centric and working towards a therapeutic goal.”

Music therapist Yael Shapiro (Gavronsky) echoes such thinking. “Though we include talk therapy, our focus is on utilising the power of music to reach people and attain certain clinical goals,” she says. “We assess emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, cognitive skills, and communication through music.” The process is unique to each individual, their stage of life, and personality.

Music is intrinsic to human beings, Shapiro says. “Our heartbeats, pulse, steps, and movements have rhythm. There’s a universality to music, anyone and everyone can connect irrespective of their language, culture, and religion. It’s accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities and disabilities.” In fact, music therapy is a powerful tool for autistic children, stroke patients, even those with dementia.

Whether patients are simply able to tap on a drum or write an entire song, music therapists meet them where they’re at. “We use multiple methods and instruments, we do music improvisation, listen to music, or actively use music-making processes,” Shapiro says. “For example, song writing can be used as a tool to express oneself or explore feelings. We might also use the lyrics of a song that the patient connects to in order to talk about the feelings they evoke.” It offers a non-threatening way of entering into talk therapy.

Noa Belling, a somatic (body-mind) psychologist specialising in dance/movement therapy, started her career as a professional ballet dancer. “It was my stress-management tool even though I didn’t know it at the time,” she says. She later applied this experience to her work as a dance and movement therapist, which she describes as “the psychotherapeutic application of dance, movement, or body awareness. This therapy taps into a sometimes traumatic experience that words cannot always adequately describe.”

In a session, patients discuss what they want to work through, then dip into the nonverbal dimension. “We look at where you feel the feelings in your body, what parts of yourself you’re aware of,” Belling says. “For example, ‘Is there tightness in your chest? Do you feel a clenching in your jaw? What lies beneath that?’” Therapists then facilitate emotional shifts by helping patients change the way they stand or move. Though some dance therapists are very dance oriented, Belling uses dance in a minimalistic way and works with mind-body awareness.

Patients also express feelings through their bodies, for example by slumping to show their exhaustion, she says. “There are two ways we experience life. We have our felt experience, which is in our body, our emotions, and often linked with our images. We need to be able to bring that into words, to describe what we’re experiencing to integrate that most fully into our lives.”