Art Therapy
What is Art Therapy?
It is a holistic alternative to talking therapy where a variety of creative modalities are used to improve emotional, cognitive, physical and spiritual health.
Adrian Hill coined the term after noticing the benefits drawing had on the healing process while hospitalised for tuberculosis.
He went on to lead drawing and painting classes for other patients who, he believed, took their minds off of their ailments and relieved their mental distress.
After World War II more and more soldiers were coming home with noticeably different behaviours and personalities. Art Therapy became an important tool in treating these soldiers who seemed to cope better with their trauma once they could create images that expressed their inner feelings. In many ways, their art was a way to release the pent up emotions and memories that haunted them from combat.
As the benefits of art therapy on soldiers became more prominent, therapists began to wonder how art therapy may be used to benefit the general population. Gestalt therapy and other approaches began adopting art exercises into their practices.
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life."
- Pablo Picasso
Benefits of Art Therapy
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Holistic Therapy
Art therapy unites our mind, feelings, body and spirit in a holistic manner that serves to counter our cultures fixation on reason and the intellect.
Through out history we have engaged with life hands on. The modern retreat into simply talking and thinking has not necessarily helped with mental health issues.
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Neuroplasticity
We all have our stories which shape our reality. They help us adapt but can trap us in a defeating loop. As a form of narrative therapy one’s artwork can help re-frame our situation as we draw on new symbolism and an empowered outlook. Creative expression can take us from stagnancy to movement, from repetition to possibility and from constriction to openness.
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Cultivating the Psyche
Art helps us give voice to experiences and feelings that are not easily expressed in words.
In doing so we move beyond the conscious mind to connect with our subconscious and the wisdom of the collective unconscious.
The Science Behind Art Therapy
The brain contains 100 billion neurons in different clustered regions. Research done by the Human Connectome Project shows that mindfulness increases the interconnectivity of the connectome—the network of widely distributed neural connections in the brain. Another set of studies shows that the level of connection in your connectome—the level of integration—is the best predictor of well-being.
All regulation—like regulating your emotions, mood, attention, thoughts, behaviour, relationships, or even morality—appears to be dependent on integration in the brain. So the more connected your neural mechanisms are, the more integrated you will be and the more self-regulating you'll be in all these areas of your life.
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Dr Daniel J Siegel, drew on this research to compose The Wheel of Awareness, a visual metaphor for the integration of consciousness.
When we produce art we move beyond the 5 senses learning to control attention and choosing where to place it, bringing new powers of concentration and focus. Benefits of art therapy include improved mental and emotional wellbeing as well as reduced stress. Higher levels of empathy, emotional intelligence, intuition and interpersonal skills. Benefits in physical health and one can expect a reduction in anxiety and depression.
Art Therapists
Arts Therapists are university trained health professionals who use creative processes to help people explore feelings that may be hard to get in touch with or put into words.
They utilise visual and creative arts in conjunction with psychotherapeutic and psychological tools to diagnose mental health and improve a client’s well-being.
From a young age, I was drawn to personally doing art for therapeutic value. Over the years I combined my formal education in a bachelor of social sciences, certificates in youth work as well as community services while working in each of these fields with a diverse range of people.
Having conducted group art therapy sessions for community organisations as well as individually through my counselling business I offer a service that is honed through education, experience and my intuitive giftings.
One of the paintings I did during my Art Therapy studies
Testimonial
My life took an unexpected turn where everything I thought would be “permanent” in my life, disappeared from one day to another.
I began seeing Ginny for counselling and art therapy. She helped me navigate these changes and feelings of ‘I’m not going to make it through this’.
She was my safe and non-judgemental place to go to every week, she would gently (and sometimes more confrontingly) challenge me and my beliefs.
It’s taken a while to get to where I am right now as I’m doing good, am genuinely happy and have found my inner strength, through her guidance and support.
~Karina Joanna
Art Therapy Retreat
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The Surrounds
Work inside or take time outside in the elements to soak in birdsong and nature
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The Space
A tranquil, restful space with bushland views and access to starry skies
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Local Walks
Chase waterfalls after dark on a local spectacular floodlit night walk in Katoomba
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Local Waterfalls
Our retreat centre is within walking distance of healing Mini Ha Ha waterfall
Healing & Growth Articles
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Learning tarot is a wonderful way to understand yourself better as you recognise archetypal behaviours within yourself. It is also a great tool to exercise your psychic muscle as well as gift loved ones with readings.
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In one sense, the mess the world is in has been born from overdeveloping our egos and underdeveloping our psyches, or soul. As Carl Jung pointed out, balance is only to be found when we confront our shadow sides, individually & collectively.
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Medicating or incarcerating people with unresolved trauma has done little to reduce mental health illness or crime rates. Over the last two decades, new approaches have been explored.
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