“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
– Pablo Picasso
Art Therapy is one of the many forms of psychotherapy techniques that use creative art activities for better self-expression and for effectively countering adverse psychological issues. Creative art therapy is a diverse field that includes visual art therapy, music therapy, expressive writing, color healing and motion-based expressive therapy, according to a study published in American Public Health Association. These activities have a powerful and positive impact, resulting in better mental, physical and emotional health.
In the past decade, the field of Art Therapy has gained strong ground in the West and is being taught at the university level, offering graduate and post-graduate programs. In Pakistan, however, the awareness is gradually increasing among masses and the future looks promising. Asim Amjad, Samina Jamshed, Ufaq Ehsan and Shazia Mohamad are some of the iconic Pakistani Art Therapists who often arrange Art Therapy workshops and seminars for kids throughout the country.
People of all ages can benefit from Art Therapy and its endless healing miracles, according to Artsastherapy.ca, a blog completely dedicated to rejuvenating powers of arts. Letting their imagination flow helps the clients or patients gain various skills, boosts up their confidence, increases their self-esteem and provides them a sense of pride. Art Therapy greatly enhances the communication skills and assists others in better understanding a person. The patients develop trust in their mentors and fellow group members, acting as a medium to socialize with others.
Art Therapy is an excellent way to overpower and control the emotions and it provides a safe outlet for them to express their hidden feelings. Through creative arts, the clients find a stable way of expressing anger, guilt, fear and rage. This form of therapy serves as an amazing means for children to process and fight many traumas of childhood, like accidents, divorce of parents, death of a close one, intense grief, disability etc.
Artastherapy.ca discusses in detail how Art Therapy is also beneficial for teenagers, going through rough times due to sudden developmental changes. It produces tremendous positive effects to counter emotional issues, anxiety, severe depression, substance abstinence, family conflicts, mental and health disorders and a lot more.
For older adults who have reached their age of retirement, Art Therapy works wonders for improvement of health, intense grief caused by the loss of someone close, stresses due to changes in finances and health, family disturbance and anxiety of death, as per Artastherapy.ca.
Pakistani children and adults alike have suffered many traumas in the recent years. Due to the raging turmoil in the field of politics, economics and national security, there has been a rapid increase in the graph of depression and stress among masses. Promoting Art Therapy in these perilous times will help counter the grief and fear carried in every heart and embedded in every mind. Art Therapy sessions and workshops should be organized in educational institutes, open for common public as well, so that every Pakistani is able to walk on the path of hope paved by the miracles of Art Therapy.
Nation Newspaper April 19, 2016, 11:54 pm