How Does Art Therapy Help Us Process Emotions?
When it comes to expressing our innermost feelings and desires, many of us are at a loss for words in crucial moments. Some find it hard to communicate and verbalize painful topics, while others (like children) simply may not have developed the vocabulary yet. How can a child tell an adult they are being hurt by another adult when they do not fully understand what is happening to them? How can a partner share feelings if their feelings were repressed their whole life?
Utilizing creative tools to express ourselves is the core principle of art therapy. Art therapy gives a voice to the powerless and to the traumatized. It serves as a tool to say what many cannot through drawing, painting, writing, music, dance, or theater. In my practice, I encourage clients who may have trouble accessing their emotions or words to use sketching, coloring, or writing to get to the root of lingering troubles. I ask clients to participate in drawing their emotions to increase emotional literacy and intelligence. During this process, I ask what makes them feel fearful, sad, angry, or joyful and then to draw what that looks like. Typically this results in very detailed works of art that tell me a great deal about my client’s inner world and what motivates them.
One of my younger patients when asked what pains her drew her friend who had died of cancer. She also sketched out a pendant she had given her. At 10-years-old, she never mentioned the loss verbally, but the loss was most certainly there.
More recently, I worked with a new mother who also had a tough health diagnosis. While she is enjoying raising her little girl, she has found it hard to get her mind off how the coming few months will be for her health. I suggested wandering through the aisles of Michael’s Craft Store to choose a creative project that looked fun for both her and her baby; a project that could capture this special time and serve as memorabilia for her family. The idea is to shift her attention from worrying about her health, toward something fun, something she looks forward to working on each day.
If you cannot find the words to say it, draw it. If you are too afraid to speak it, write it. If you feel frozen by it, move your body with it. This how creativity works and how it encourages healing.
I have created an entire catalog of art therapy worksheet books for kids, teenagers, and adults that provide creative prompts for emotional processing, healing, and self-discovery. Below is an art therapy workbook I created for teenagers and adults.
