Has anyone had Art Therapy as a form of Psychoptherapy that can give me their experiences, opinions... anything that will help me not have that knot in my stomach between now and when I have the appointment?
Thanks in advance.
Roiben x
If the Human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we wouldn't.
I had Art Therapy when I was in hospital and found it very helpful. The 'funny' thing was that I was most creative when I was most ill and could not draw when I got better!
Is there anything specific that you would like to know?
The freshly qualified Psycho-Pharmacologist who is taking psychiatric medications herself.
I am currently a postgraduate student in Psychiatric Research.
I had it with a clinical psychologist a few years ago, it was very good, I love art and I really enjoyed it, the talking was quite hard(I have communication difficulties anyway as well as receptive language difficulties) but it was one of my better experiences with therapies and professionals, but that's just me.
I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure it'll be good!
I had some related stuff- I got to play with sand it was fun, often I find it hard to talk and being distracted did help. Any therapy is obviously difficult and makes you feel very nervous but as someone who becomes very anxious in therapy I must say that art therapy actually helped to calm my nerves a bit as there wasn't so much pressure to talk all the time. Alao sometimes words are hard to say, especially if you can't breathe which was often my problem, its a good way of helping those who find it hard to say things. I find when I said things that made them too real and then I closed up, this didnt happen as much when playing with sand. I know I am odd, I must say I don't know what other art things are done, I get muscle pain if needing to hold anything for too long so thats why I mainly used the sand but I am sure drawing and painting takes place too.
She said it was art therapy there was a tray with different rocks and a rake and stuff, I think it was suppose to be more sophisticated but I just played because thats what I am like, they had clay and paints and chalk but no puppets and dolls.
Last edited by Minty : 22-08-2009 at 12:29 AM.
But I being poor have only my dreams, I have spread my dreams under your feet ; tread softly as you tread on my dreams.
We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.
I had art therapy in a group setting. The important thing to remember is that it has absolutely nothing to do with being a good artist/being able to draw or being creative. It's about whatever comes out of you. That means if you just want to put colours or shapes onto a piece of paper or play with a piece of clay, that's fine. xxx
ohhh im a terrible artist but i loved art therapy. it wasnt what i thought it would be. i made collages of things from magazine made cards for my vistitors made photo phrames painted pottery.
it was so good and specially a great break for an hour when stuck in hospital
i hated it, it was more the fact the woman wanted to sit right beside me looking over what i was doing and i found that really uncomfterble, then at the end she misread everything i drew ha ha, i never went back.
"Its not how long a star shines, what is remembered is the brightness of the light"
I've done a fair bit of art therapy, both in group settings and on an individual basis.
In the groups, we were given themes we could follow if we wanted or we could draw whatever we wanted. Then there was time for each of us to discuss what we had drawn if we wanted.
In my individual session I drew whatever I wanted and then I discussed it with the therapist.
I still have all of my artwork and it's really interesting to look over and see where I was. I found it really helpful, it was a healthy way of letting my emotions out without being destructive. I remember when I wanted to self harm I just "attacked" the paper with red paint and it made me feel a whole lot better.
Remember it's not about how well you do or dont draw, it's just about letting your emotions out a different way.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I had art therapy. The teacher/therapist was very realaxed and the atmosphere was laid back.
He gave us ideas about what to paint and draw and there was no pressure on anyone to talk or disclose anything we did not want to.
It was a pleasure
I do art therapy in a group setting, also did it a couple of years back in private sessions as well as play therapy; found it very helpful.
Like others have said it can be very helpful when words don't come easy or things are too difficult/scary or confronting to convey in language.
The group is different, of course there is a much broader topic, it isn't specific to any one person and it usually isn't as intense. You also need to be in a group of people whom you trust, which isn;t an easy feat. But it is helpful for me nonetheless.
Sorry if none of that helped.
Really hope it goes well for you - try not to be too anxious, it can be much more laid back and less anxiety provoking doing art therapy as opposed to talk-based therapy.
Let us know how it goes :)
Good luck
I had Art Therapy a few years ago, and it was the one which helped me the most.
My therapist was very good, she sat away from me and let me draw/paint/sculpt whatever I liked. Then after she would ask me perhaps what it meant, before expanding on what I said.
For example, one time I had painted a group of flowers with smiling faces, and she noticed one that was a lot smaller than the others, and that the group was the same size as my family. Pointing ou the smaller one, she wondered if that was perhaps me, and that i felt small and unimportant, I found it very insightful. Especially as it was what I felt, but was not what I had been thinking about when I did it.
I have been doing art therapy recently on a one to one with my therapist and i have found it so helpful, my therapist says you don't have to be a great artist to gain from art therapy. It helped me alot espcially in times when i couldnt describe how i was feeling i could just scribble my hurt and anger onto the paper and it didnt have to be a specific picture. It's honestly nothing to worry about, I found it really helpful :)
I have also done play therapy and sandtray therapy, they are also really helpful if you ever get the chance to do them :)
I wasnt so keen on the pupperts ect as i felt a bit daft but sandtray is great :)
xx
" when life gives you 100 reasons to cry ; Show life that you have 1000 reason to smile"
I had art therapy when i was younger & i really enjoyed it.
in my latest stay at harplands i requested it but was denied on the grounds i was there for a 'rest' & seen as i'm doing a degree in art they didn't like the idea of my painting & drawing excessively.
I spent all my time in hospital drawing and painting.I did art therapy as an out patient for ages and I loved it so much ,I swear .She even used one of my works on her leafet ,I was delighted.I would have been lost without it.I did art in college thoguh so I could have been like different to most ppl ,but there were ppl there who couldnt draw at all and they enjoyed it too.Its a fantastic thing ,and I mean theres nothing to be nervous about ,of all things Art therapists are the nicest ppl you could meet.Its therapy after all ,and what you do after you work is go through your stuff to see what it means to you ,its amazing the stuff that comes out.
I wish I was still doing it.
I am a play therapist with primary school age children. My training was experiential and therefore I have felt many of the emotions that go along with art therapy. Embrace that feeling - it maybe scary, but it is real - and that should be taken with you to your first appointment and given the opportunity to be expressed!!
Please let me know how you get on - creativity is something that should be delighted in - it will give you an insight into you - and that is a valuable experience - something that is a rare privilege! xx
" when life gives you 100 reasons to cry ;
