ART THERAPY... - ZEFRANK.COM

tapanuli · 09-01-2007, 02:42 PM

Aside from the visual banter on this message board, would anyone like to share their thoughts on art therapy or someone they might know who's an art therapist.

Trying to decide what path to stroll and stumble along...

brightpearl · 09-01-2007, 03:40 PM

Do you know about this organization? They list school programs, lotsa links and such...

Just for fun, you should go read the Beyond the Surface thread, if you haven't already.

trisherina · 09-01-2007, 05:15 PM

I knew someone who wrote a book on art therapy. It wasn't exactly widely distributed, but it was published by a college press. She also believed that she could readily predict the outcome of horse races (but wouldn't, because it "wouldn't be right to use the animals that way"), and worked as a "psychic" before moving elsewhere. We had a falling out long before that though, as a result of my response to the horse racing revelation.

Professionally speaking, art therapy has its place, especially among the nonverbal or learning disordered, but occupies a very small portion of the significant number of evidence-based practices out there that can be used as therapy. I would call it more of a "delighter" or a "nice to have" than an essential, but maybe people who spend their lives working with the worried well have a different view. In my clinical experience, the success of the art therapist is based on i) how good he/she is at establishing therapeutic rapport, which can never hurt anyone anyway, and ii) how much personal charisma he/she has in order to make interpretations "stick" -- which may sound slightly cynical but can be observed over and over and over again in any type of "dynamic" therapy that relies heavily on interpretation.

xfox · 09-01-2007, 06:50 PM

This board is therapy for me. Call it art. Most here are truly artistic and an audience is useful.

auntie aubrey · 09-01-2007, 07:02 PM

i relate to art therapy personally.

i had a friend in high school whose step father was an overbearing workaholic, short tempered and nasty when stressed. he had a high importance top-of-his-field type career in neuroscience. major research kind of stuff. then one day, quite unexpectedly, at an age that seemed too young, he had a massive stroke. he was paralyzed along his right side. he couldn't walk, couldn't use his right hand, couldn't speak, could barely function.

he recovered quite a bit through traditional therapy, although he will never fully be whole again and he will spend the rest of his life on disability. he can walk with only a slight hitch, he can do some tasks with his right hand, he can speak very slowly and with just a bit of effort, and he can even drive now.

but that was just getting his life back together. when he really began to thrive was when he began art therapy. suddenly this man who had been temperamental and snappish and had no time for leisure or matters of the heart discovered that he could paint. at first it was hard because he's naturally right handed, and his right hand remains only partially under his control. so the therapist taught him to paint with his left hand.

these paintings are stupendous. beautiful plays of light and shadow, brilliant colors and bold, confident strokes. they took a room in their home and turned it into an art studio and he spends his time in there, creating these beautiful compositions on canvas with a part of himself that would have never seen the light of day pre-stroke. he has had numerous art showings and he sells his work on a fairly regular basis.

so for me, personally, i admire art therapists and think the field of art therapy is under-appreciated. because it's not just about getting your life together, it's about learning to thrive.

T.I.P. · 09-01-2007, 08:45 PM

^ great story auntie ! It sounds like he needed the stroke to let go of the left brain/rational-processing and get in touch with the right brain/emotional-creative processing.

I talked with a guy who was in high school with me a few years back, who'd since gotten into musico-therapy. From what I can remember the idea was based on using a repetitive beat to plunge the subject into a relaxed state of mind. There was some idea of how it could remind you of your mother's heartbeat, to some extent. I'm guessing from Trisherina's post that there is some form of hypnotic suggestion involved (she used the term "rapport" which is explained in the NLP wiki page that Pearly posted some time ago).

fascinating stuff, really.

I can try to get in touch with this guy i'm talking about if you're interested tapanuli; i think he studied in England, but he might have ideas about how to get into the field in the US...

madasacutsnake · 09-01-2007, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trisherina

We had a falling out long before that though, as a result of my response to the horse racing revelation.

You really should do it like the rest of us. You know, form guide, turf condition, weather.............

Hyakujo's Fox · 09-01-2007, 10:49 PM

jockey's colours, nice name, lucky numbers......

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.I.P.

^ great story auntie ! It sounds like he needed the stroke to let go of the left brain/rational-processing and get in touch with the right brain/emotional-creative processing.

I saw a documentary on a few of these guys who had suffered strokes and become artists. It didn't seem to be so much therapeutic as it was compulsive for many of them. There was a guy who become quite a talented artist but had lost any ability to feel empathy for other people, and could never take anyone else's feelings into consideration in even the slightest way, such as thanking his wife when she brought him a cup of tea. The art didn't seem to have anything to do with helping him, the dedication to it seemed more like a manifestation of his newfound "selfishness".

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1370231.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/s...06/1769611.htm

Pixie Cherries · 09-01-2007, 05:03 PM

I thought about becoming an art therapist at one point. The schooling was too intense for my life situation. But a genuine art therapist must complete a Master's degree. It is a wonderful field and there simply are not enough of them. I opted for a degree in studio art.

Art therapy is a wonderful way of accessing the creative depths of individuals, but most importantly it provides a means for people to "say" what is on the inside in a visual or otherwise expressive way. I believe it provides a means of conversation with the soul and an avenue by which healing may enter in. I hope the discipline receives more acclaim as time goes by. There just aren't enough of them out there for now. An art therapist is paid extremely well because of that, but it takes a special person for the job too.

09-01-2007, 02:42 PM	#1
tapanuli intermittent guest Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: home Posts: 130	ART THERAPY... Aside from the visual banter on this message board, would anyone like to share their thoughts on art therapy or someone they might know who's an art therapist. Trying to decide what path to stroll and stumble along... __________________ possibilities, possibilities

09-01-2007, 03:40 PM	#2
brightpearl Rhinoceros fan Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 8,749	Do you know about this organization? They list school programs, lotsa links and such... Just for fun, you should go read the Beyond the Surface thread, if you haven't already. Last edited by brightpearl : 09-01-2007 at 03:42 PM.

09-01-2007, 07:02 PM	#5
auntie aubrey excursions Join Date: May 2006 Location: beyond the call of duty Posts: 2,443	i relate to art therapy personally. i had a friend in high school whose step father was an overbearing workaholic, short tempered and nasty when stressed. he had a high importance top-of-his-field type career in neuroscience. major research kind of stuff. then one day, quite unexpectedly, at an age that seemed too young, he had a massive stroke. he was paralyzed along his right side. he couldn't walk, couldn't use his right hand, couldn't speak, could barely function. he recovered quite a bit through traditional therapy, although he will never fully be whole again and he will spend the rest of his life on disability. he can walk with only a slight hitch, he can do some tasks with his right hand, he can speak very slowly and with just a bit of effort, and he can even drive now. but that was just getting his life back together. when he really began to thrive was when he began art therapy. suddenly this man who had been temperamental and snappish and had no time for leisure or matters of the heart discovered that he could paint. at first it was hard because he's naturally right handed, and his right hand remains only partially under his control. so the therapist taught him to paint with his left hand. these paintings are stupendous. beautiful plays of light and shadow, brilliant colors and bold, confident strokes. they took a room in their home and turned it into an art studio and he spends his time in there, creating these beautiful compositions on canvas with a part of himself that would have never seen the light of day pre-stroke. he has had numerous art showings and he sells his work on a fairly regular basis. so for me, personally, i admire art therapists and think the field of art therapy is under-appreciated. because it's not just about getting your life together, it's about learning to thrive. __________________ that dog won't hunt, monsignor

09-01-2007, 08:45 PM	#6
T.I.P. balancing actor Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: america Posts: 2,706	^ great story auntie ! It sounds like he needed the stroke to let go of the left brain/rational-processing and get in touch with the right brain/emotional-creative processing. I talked with a guy who was in high school with me a few years back, who'd since gotten into musico-therapy. From what I can remember the idea was based on using a repetitive beat to plunge the subject into a relaxed state of mind. There was some idea of how it could remind you of your mother's heartbeat, to some extent. I'm guessing from Trisherina's post that there is some form of hypnotic suggestion involved (she used the term "rapport" which is explained in the NLP wiki page that Pearly posted some time ago). fascinating stuff, really. I can try to get in touch with this guy i'm talking about if you're interested tapanuli; i think he studied in England, but he might have ideas about how to get into the field in the US... Last edited by T.I.P. : 09-01-2007 at 08:49 PM. Reason: sp

09-01-2007, 05:03 PM	#9
Pixie Cherries I can benchpress 300 oz. Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 281	I thought about becoming an art therapist at one point. The schooling was too intense for my life situation. But a genuine art therapist must complete a Master's degree. It is a wonderful field and there simply are not enough of them. I opted for a degree in studio art. Art therapy is a wonderful way of accessing the creative depths of individuals, but most importantly it provides a means for people to "say" what is on the inside in a visual or otherwise expressive way. I believe it provides a means of conversation with the soul and an avenue by which healing may enter in. I hope the discipline receives more acclaim as time goes by. There just aren't enough of them out there for now. An art therapist is paid extremely well because of that, but it takes a special person for the job too. __________________ Just another out of work flea circus coreographer. "Love is.........an act of endless forgiveness."

09-01-2007, 05:15 PM	#3
trisherina meretricious dilettante Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 11,068	I knew someone who wrote a book on art therapy. It wasn't exactly widely distributed, but it was published by a college press. She also believed that she could readily predict the outcome of horse races (but wouldn't, because it "wouldn't be right to use the animals that way"), and worked as a "psychic" before moving elsewhere. We had a falling out long before that though, as a result of my response to the horse racing revelation. Professionally speaking, art therapy has its place, especially among the nonverbal or learning disordered, but occupies a very small portion of the significant number of evidence-based practices out there that can be used as therapy. I would call it more of a "delighter" or a "nice to have" than an essential, but maybe people who spend their lives working with the worried well have a different view. In my clinical experience, the success of the art therapist is based on i) how good he/she is at establishing therapeutic rapport, which can never hurt anyone anyway, and ii) how much personal charisma he/she has in order to make interpretations "stick" -- which may sound slightly cynical but can be observed over and over and over again in any type of "dynamic" therapy that relies heavily on interpretation.

09-01-2007, 06:50 PM	#4
xfox slightly effective Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: >>> Posts: 2,404	This board is therapy for me. Call it art. Most here are truly artistic and an audience is useful.

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