Searching for the science behind art therapy

Abstract

John sat hunched over, ears red, cursing the paint under his breath. A war veteran not an artist, John (not his real name) hadn't painted with water colors before. But he and seven other combat veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars weren't trying to master a new artistic medium. They were all seeking relief from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through a form of psychotherapy called art therapy.Art therapy helps people "tap into aspects of the self and the psyche that aren't always accessible," says Juliet King, an associate professor of art therapy at George Washington University. Typically masterstrained and board-certified, art therapists prompt patients to create with clay, paints, and other visual arts media. They talk with patients about the artwork and the patients' experiences. Their aim is to ease the symptoms of a wide range of mental health challenges-from eating disorders and anxiety to Alzheimer's disease and depression.The efforts of King and others make one thing clear: Art therapy often appears to work. The question is why. Why might creating abstract art from papiermâché and pastel help access, explicate, and even soothe the pain of a traumatic experience or condition? Despite efforts by scientists and art therapists, scientific answers remain elusive. The effects of art therapy, an inherently subjective activity, are difficult to test.Art therapists use a range of visual media to help patients verbalize and address the pain of traumatic experiences. This watercolor painting of a heart without arteries captured one combat veteran's state of mind, helping him grapple with feelings of being disconnected. Image credit: "John" (artist) and Juliet King (

Using mobile brain/body imaging to advance research in arts, health, and related therapeutics

“…Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy, and its efficacy and effectiveness can be tested similarly to verbal psychotherapy with a standardization of identified variables. Introducing art therapy research to neuroscience as a means to explore the underpinnings of sensory, motor, and cognitive processes involved can help to conceptualize and further hypothesize the underlying mechanisms of psychological change throughout treatment (Beans, 2019). Scientific evidence expands the reach of art therapy, tying the components together in a systematic theory-driven way, yet providing enough space for the ambiguity of human experience that transcends any correlational design.…”

Chapter 12. “You’re Invited to the Rejection Party” and Other Strategies for Normalizing Rejection and Failure as Part of the Research Process

“…Art has long been used to process difficult emotions and experiences (Beans 2019). Having students and faculty both share in the pain of rejection and turn those rejections into art or origami helps students see that other people are experiencing the same feelings of failure and process how to move forward from it (see Figure 3).…”

Dynamics of Development of Body Cognition Through Artistical Expression of Blind and Low Vision Children

“…Many authors see clay work as an art therapy approach (Beans, 2019;Joshua, & Rainbow, 2017). But in this article clay work is seen and discovered as a tool that helps visual impaired people to recognize their own body by using verbal and non-verbal elements in study process, as well as integrates multisensory modalities.…”