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What is Expressive Arts Therapy?
Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapy (EXAT) encourages the use of painting, drawing, writing, sound, gesture, moment, visualization meditation, and/or role play in the therapeutic process. Doing so activates multiple intelligences (see Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence) by utilizing different parts of the brain and the body in developing and reinforcing new awareness. Ultimately, EXAT emphasizes the healing capacity of awakening the senses and use of the imagination in discovering new solutions to old problems.
Efforts to formalize it as a distinct therapeutic discipline began in the 1970s in the U.S. and Europe, and EXAT has been officially accredited by the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association since 1994.
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How is Expressive Arts Therapy Different from Other Therapy?
The arts have a distinct capacity to respond to human distress and suffering by holding that which words alone cannot express. While talking is still a part of EXAT sessions, the art-making itself is the primary vehicle of uncovering new information about yourself. This can be helpful to find clarity when it is difficult to find the words to describe a situation. Because our subconscious world — including dreams and memories — tend to exist in a visual or sensory format, the arts access a different sort of “language” to better understand and express your experience from a deeper place.
Is Expressive Arts Therapy Right For Me?
Studies show that the arts in therapy have been successfully utilized in treatment for anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma and stress disorders, grief, chronic pain, and many other forms of distress. The arts are especially handy for promoting a sense of calm in the nervous system so EXAT could be good for if you’re dealing with stress and anxiety related challenges. The arts are also beneficial for uncovering and clarifying more hidden aspects of ourselves, including past traumas. If you have been feeling stuck using traditional talk therapy, using the arts in therapy could be helpful.
EXAT is a good fit for people who already have creative interests or tendencies toward abstract thought processes. However, whether or not you identify as an “artist”, the arts are beneficial in therapy for everyone — adult, teen, or child. When using the arts in therapy, the focus is on what comes up though the creative process itself, so there is no pressure to create a good looking product. (Although it’s very possible that you might end up creating something you are pleased with!)
What Can I Expect From Expressive Arts Therapy?
Not unlike traditional talk therapy, your therapist will initially have a conversation with you about your challenges and goals for therapy. They might ask deepening or clarifying questions to depict your situation in a sensory-based way such as: “what do you feel in your body as you talk about that?” or “what color, shape or texture is that like?”. Your therapist will guide you through the creative processes gently and collaboratively, asking for consent each step of the way.
Engaging therapeutically in the arts can look a lot of different ways. It might be active — such as painting, collaging, dancing, or writing poetry. It could also be receptive — such as listening to music, or viewing images of nature or visual art. These practices can be used individually (like being led in a visualization meditation of a peaceful place); concurrently (like listening to music that reflects an emotion while simultaneously making art about it); or they might flow into each other sequentially (like doing a visualization meditation, followed by drawing what came up, then writing poetry or doing movements related to what came up for you).
In doing so, new insights emerge each step of the way. Art making sessions generally conclude with your therapist prompting reflective questions about your experience.
