Art Therapy & Clinical Hypnotherapy | Consultancy | Training | Rebecca Jones | Harley St. London UK
Art Therapy Interventions & Clinical Hypnotherapy
Recently I worked with and completed a project with world renowned Art Therapist Pamela Hayes. Based in Los Angeles, California, like me, Pamela is also a trained Hypnotherapist and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT).
With her background in Hypnotherapy I was eager to work together and complete this project in Art Therapy. I wanted to see how together we could incorporate and marry these two therapeutic disciplines together, without taking away any of the strengths of either therapy, whilst at the same time creating a Superpower technique that incorporates the very best of both.
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Within this context, art is not used as diagnostic tool but as a medium to address emotional issues which may be confusing and distressing.
Art therapists work with children, young people, adults and the elderly. Clients may have a wide range of difficulties, disabilities or diagnoses. These include emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, neurological conditions and physical illnesses.
Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being.
People have been relying on the arts for communication, self-expression, and healing for thousands of years. But art therapy didn't start to become a formal program until the 1940s.
Different people will have different experiences of arts and creative therapies, but in general they aim to:
*allow you to communicate thoughts and feelings that you find difficult to put into words
*help you make sense of things and understand yourself better
*give you a safe time and place with someone who won't judge you
*help you find new ways to look at problems or difficult situations
*help you to talk about complicated feelings or difficult experiences
*give you a chance to connect with other people.
For thousands of years, cultures and religions around the world have incorporated the use of carved idols and charms, as well as sacred paintings and symbols, in the healing process. The establishment of art therapy as a unique and publicly accepted therapeutic approach only took place recently, in the mid-20th century. The emergence of art therapy as a profession arose independently and simultaneously in the United States and Europe.
The term “art therapy” was coined in 1942 by British artist Adrian Hill, who discovered the healthful benefits of painting and drawing while recovering from tuberculosis.
Margaret Naumburg, Hanna Kwaitkowska, Florence Cane, Edith Kramer, and Elinor Ulman were five influential writers of the 1940s who made significant contributions towards the development of art therapy as a recognised field.
Margaret Naumberg (May 14, 1890 – February 26, 1983) was an American psychologist, educator, artist, author and among the first major theoreticians of art therapy. Prior to working in art therapy, she founded the Walden School of New York City.
Hanna Kwaitkowska was a Polish ceramics sculptress, art therapist, and child and family psychiatrist. She was the first person to document and conduct research in family art therapy practices.
Florence Cane (September 28, 1882 – 1952) was a notable American art educator whose ideas influenced the field of art therapy.
Edith Kramer (1916–2014) was an Austrian social realist painter, a follower of psychoanalytic theory and an art therapy pioneer.
Elinor Ulman taught in the Art Therapy Program from 1971 to 1988 and was an honorary life member of the American Art Therapy Association. She was founder, editor and publisher of The Bulletin of Art Therapy (now The American Journal of Art Therapy).
Art therapy involves the use of creative techniques such as drawing, painting, collage, colouring, or sculpting to help people express themselves artistically and examine the psychological and emotional undertones in their art. Clients can "decode" the nonverbal messages, symbols, and metaphors often found in these art forms, which should lead to a better understanding of their feelings and behaviour so they can move on to resolve deeper issues.
Clinical Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis for the treatment