Art Therapy
 

I have seen that several people here have said that art therapy is helpful and I would like to know what are the reasons for it being helpful, and how does it feel while doing it?

I feel like I might have missed out on something because last time I had art therapy as an activity on the ward, I ended up drawing Pascal's Triangle in binary...

I am not saying that art therapy is bad, I am just interested in hearing how it has helped people.

I found it helpful because I am a creative person and I felt guided creation to be helpful in expressing things I was struggling to verbalise.

On a less technical scale, creating something can life your mood because you feel positive about accomplishing something.

I'm glad that it helped you. I agree, creating something definitely does lift your mood; when I made something in a woodwork class at school I was really happy.

I've also been interested in what people found helpful about art therapy so thanks for posting Oly. Personally I hated it, I got nothing out of it whatsoever but a lot of other people seem to find it really helpful. Maybe it is because I'm not arty though.

You're welcome. I had the same experience as you and I'm not arty either. I just took my textbooks into the art group with me and read them in the corner while listening to music.

I find doing something creative helpful, but i dont feel i could ever get along with actual art therapy because i feel very self-conscious about expressing myself like that. What seems brilliant when its just me suddenly looks awful and fake when someone else sees it

^you don't have to share.

When I was in hosp, the OT came in to do art therapy with us and we just sat wherever we wanted, painting, writing, making jewellery, cards, pottery, music etc.

I once sat for hours making bracelet after bracelet because it was monotonous and followed order and perfection so it kept me grounded. I joked when more lucid that I should have started a Psych Jewellery shop where all the produces were made by loonies.

^ lol.

I tried bracelet making too, but I kept dropping the beads and I couldn't thread the beads onto the elastic/string.

I do art therapy once a week in a group setting. It's part of a programme of therapies and I find it helpful in conjunction with the more talking-based ones. In my art group we are given time to make anything we want with a variety of materials available, and then we talk as a group afterwards about the pieces created.

It's a really helpful way for me to communicate in a non-verbal way about something I'm feeling/struggling with without it feeling quite so exposing as using words alone. I also find the process of getting it out onto paper(clay etc) cathartic. Doing art therapy in a group also helps you to link in with other people's work, and I find I can relate to other people's work in a way I hadn't expected and might not have been able to express myself. Also, having everyone's work together helps us to spot common themes which emerge within the group. In addition, regular art therapy helps you produce a visual 'timeline' of your journey through therapeutic work - and, looking back on images enables you to see how you've changed, or whether you still need to work on certain things.

Laura, I am glad that it helps you. That sounds like a very positive experience.

I get distressed in group work settings. But my dad used to teach me how to draw when I was in primary school; that was pretty fun. But now I don't draw with the exception of "mathematical art" (sorry I cannot really describe it).

I tried Art Therapy once, painted a bunch of flowers if i remember correctly. The therapist cam over and told me there were alot of sharp edges and anger in the picture...could i tell her why..i said no and left, Definately not for me but im sure it helps some people. maybe i just wasnt in the right place for it mentally x

personally i wasnt keen but could see how it may have been beneficial to some people. i kept feeling on edge and being watched the whole time there

I like the accomplishment of creating something. It extends to things beyond art for me though, but it's one of the reasons I sometimes like art. Specifically the times I've been put in art therapy in the hospital I mostly liked it because it was finally something to do. Hospitals here in the US are so horribly restrictive. I've never been allowed music players. Books had to be inspected for anything "harmful", pens were not allowed, and markers/pencils could only be used with restrictions. There was almost nothing to do. So to get to actually do something and not be going crazy with boredom was therapy itself. :)

I've never tried it,

However its definitely something I'd be interested in giving a go if it was offered where I live. Well if it was free anyway. I don't really see how it could help with my main problems though, I just think it might be fun and relaxing but overall I don't think it would do too much in the way of helping me. I don't know though since I've never done it.

I would love some art therapy. I like to paint and create. I'm quite good at crafts and would love to be better at painting. I go to an art and craft group twice a week but it's not therapy or very structured. We just decide on different things to do. I really would like structured art therapy as I find expressing things in words hard. However as far as I know there is no art therapy anywhere near me except in an addictions unit.

Thanks.
I'm glad you find it helpful.

For the binary Pascal's triangle follow this link: http://www.mirekw.com/ca/rules/1dbi_pascalstriangle.gif
(each yellow bit is a one and the black is a 0)

I tried to look up Pascal's triangle just now...it made my head hurt :(

It seems so complicated lol

It's just addition really.

. . . 1
. . .1 1
. . 1 2 1
. 1 3 3 1
1 4 6 4 1

You add the two numbers together (i.e. 3 + 3) and then you write the answer in the line below, between the two numbers (i.e. 6).

I did it in base 3, base 4 and even hexadecimal. That was fun :)

I used to find Art Therapy helpful as a means of expression, especially when it was difficult to express myself in any other way or I didn't know how to at the time. Nowadays I sometimes still use drawing on my own as a way to cope with feelings and vent a build up of negative feelings, whichever they may be. My primary coping strategy is to write, but sometimes it's feelings I can't articulate at the time.
I'm a creative person though, and can see how it wouldn't be particularly helpful for those that aren't. Singing can help too, it's all just variations of expression and communication (if you choose to share) really.