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Artis
Spectrum
T
HE FIELD OF ART THERAPY EMERGED
in the 1940s, when psychiatrists found
art as a gateway to understanding patients
with mental illness.
3
Art therapy focuses
not on the product but on the process of
expression and the self that is revealed
through it. By reflecting on unconscious
themes that emerge, art therapy can
identify needs, trigger insight, heighten
self-awareness, change behavior, and
enhance health.
4
Research has shown that art can be used to improve recovery
from injury,
5
mental function,
6
pain,
7 8
caregiver stress,
9
trauma,
10
self-esteem,
11 12
and emotional well-being.
13
Art therapy offers
a nonverbal, universal, and accessible tool for reaching diverse
cultural groups.
14 15 16
It does not bear the stigma of therapy and
can accommodate the intensity of the human experience.
17
Art therapists work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals,
mental health agencies, residential treatment centers, halfway
houses, violence and homeless shelters, community agencies,
schools, correctional facilities, elder care facilities, art studios, and
private practices. The American Art Therapy Association sets
standards for training, credentialing, and care.
18
Despite the fact that art therapy has been used successfully
in the community for the last half century and has been shown
as a valuable tool in health care, art therapists are still relatively
invisible in medical and educational settings. Why hasn't art
therapy taken root in these institutions? One of the main reasons
is that implementation in these settings depends largely upon
rigorous scientific research, and the little evidence that exists
has been largely anecdotal, single-case observation, or poorly
controlled.
In the absence of rigorous research, however, there may be
another way to mainstream art therapy.
Fortunately, we know from the rise in popularity of alternative
approaches to healing (such as acupuncture, herbal medicine,
yoga, meditation, chiropractic, and massage) that public demand
fuels supply of services and government funding for research.
19
Many people have turned to these methods of healing because an
increasing number of health care problems are chronic and rooted
in emotions and behavior, but conventional treatments for them are
not effective.
20 21 22
People will use what works, and allied health professionals
are desperate to find new tools for healing. Furthermore, peer
experiences are more convincing than scientific evidence per se
when it comes to adopting new ideas and behaviors.
23 24
So how can we increase the demand for art therapy in health
care? By giving people an opportunity to experience it.
Last year, the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA)
and the Salamander Fund initiated a program in Creative Arts
and Healing to facilitate the use of the arts for healing by offering
experiential learning opportunities to educators, counselors,
health professionals, community workers, caregivers, artists, and
the general public. This new model of health education bridges
academia and the public by strategic outreach to key professional
groups and practical education that moves beyond the typical
lecture format. Because experiences evoke emotions, experiential
learning should have enduring and transformational effects.
25 26
This year we have embarked upon a broader collaboration to
bring our programs directly into the community. For our current
project, "Healing and Transformation through Art," we have joined
forces with Gallery Saint Germain in West Hollywood, CA, to
offer a three-week, multi-media exhibit of painting, sculpture, and
installation art by artists whose work is aimed at healing. Music for
healing, relaxation and meditation will be curated by Jay Oliver,
world renowned pianist, composer, and founder of Sounds in
Silence. The gallery will also hold three, free public workshops in
which artists and art therapists will show, through first-hand stories
and hands-on activities, how art can promote insight and enhance
health. The three experiential workshops will also explore the use of
drumming, writing and meditation to further the healing process.*
We can secure the place of art in our culture by rooting it in
health care and by giving people an opportunity to experience its
healing power.
Healing and Transformation
THROUGH ART
Science has shown how the mind affects
the body's ability to heal and resist disease.
1, 2
Art is a window to the mind; therefore, art has
the capacity to heal. All artists must know
this through experience. Yet, state and federal
funding priorities reflect a lack of appreciation
for the healing power of art.