Henri Matisse, one of the leaders in Fauvism style, deeply passionate about bright and expressive colors, once wanted to become a lawyer.
Henry was 20 years old when he went to Paris to study law. He was a good son of a wealthy grain merchant and worked as a court administrator in Le Cateau-Cambrésis after gaining his qualification. Everything changed with an attack of appendicitis. Matisse had to stop his carrier journey at a hospital to have operations and further treatments. Eventually, his days turned to be like Groundhog Day; white walls and laying at a bed, white walls and laying at a bed, walls, and a bed. Until his mother brought him art supplies. Just for fun. Matisse’s mother was the first to advise her son not to adhere to the “rules” of art but rather listen to his own emotions. He was so excited by the process, then later became committed only to his art. Of course, this intense change of profession deeply disappointed his father.
Henry Matisse became a tremendous artist known for his revolutionary developments in the visual arts. But in his life, art was just a treatment, and in the darker times of his life, he always turned back to paints and brushes.
Matisse’s mother’s advice, “listen to his own emotions while painting,” is the principal concept of art therapy.
Art therapy is based on the idea that the creative process of art-making is healing and life-enhancing and is a form of nonverbal communication of thoughts and feelings (American Art Therapy Association, 1996).
In this article, we will explore the topic of art therapy, where it is implemented and why it is effective.
Our brain likes pictures
Art making is an innate human tendency, so much so it has been argued that, like speech and tool making, this activity could be used to define our species. (Malchiodi, 6) Now there are more and more researches on how images influence emotion, thoughts, and well-being. Moreover, how the brain and body react to the experience of drawing, painting, or other art activities.
The reason is our mind.
In 1993, Bill Moyers opened up about “mind-body medicine” in a public television series, Healing and the Mind, where the main point was the mind has a major impact on the body’s health. In 2002 the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine had defined mind-body interventions as designed to facilitate the mind’s capacity to influence bodily function and symptoms. (Malchiodi 17)
Art therapy is one of them. Sure, art practice cannot heal you from cancer, and mostly it is used as a form of psychotherapy. However, some researches show how it modifies physiology, symptoms, and other aspects of health. For example, in his experiment, DeLue (1999) demonstrated the physiological effects of drawing mandalas with a group of school-age children. Using biofeedback, he discovered some changes to skin temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. (Malchiodi 17)
Talking about images and why it works, the study by Damasio (1994) explains that our bodies view and respond to mental images as if they are real. Moreover, that includes visual and sensory modalities — auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and somatosensory (touch, muscular, temperature, pain, visceral, and vestibular senses). (Malchiodi 17)
Interesting fact, many regions of the brain are part of image formation, storage, and retrieval. And both the left (logical) and the right (creative) parts are involved in the art (image) making — even simple drawing involves complex interactions. So, how is it used in art therapy?
If you hate mediation, try drawing
Through art-making, patients are invited to reframe how they feel, respond to an event or experience, and work on emotional and behavioral change. Art-making allows an individual to actively try out, experiment with, or rehearse the desired change through a drawing, painting, or collage; that is, it involves a tangible object that can be physically altered. Shortly, instead of talking about your emotions to the therapist, you can express it with art.
Why art therapy is good for your health — it can help you process some traumatic experiences by mobilizing the expression of sensory memories. This is essential to a successful resolution. Sometimes art activities help with processing better than verbal interviews because it involves touch, smell, and other senses within the experience.
Also, art practices are well-known for their placebo effect.
A remarkable phenomenon in which a placebo–a fake treatment, an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution–can sometimes improve a patient’s condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful. The more a person believes they are going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that they will experience a benefit.
William C. Shiel Jr.
While positive expectation may be the central benefit of art therapy, there are other aspects that cause healing. Tinnin (1994) explaining how the placebo effect is transforming in art therapy concluded that it is more than just the power of believing but the power of self-relaxation for our brain. Art therapy uses mimicry — a preverbal function of the brain that is basic to self-soothing. So you can calm down and repair yourself. He adds that “art therapy has a unique and specific potential relative to self-healing because of the way art affects the brain.” (Tinnin 77)
To sum up (and start making art)
You don’t have to become the second Henri Matisse to start art therapy. The result is not important. Instead, the process of helping yourself. Especially in 2020. You may use creative practices even if you don’t have any difficulties. To cope with stress, to soothe yourself, to reduce negative emotions, to increase self-awareness.
Resources:
Tinnin, L. (1994). Transforming the placebo effect in art therapy. American Journal of Art Therapy, 32(3), 75–78.
Sebastian Smee. (2017) The Art of Rivalry: Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art, 141–200.
C.A. Malchiodi (2003), Handbook of Art Therapy.
Written by Marie Avandegraund
