By Barbara Bernath In my work as an art therapist, | have witnessed a vast array of human experiences transformed into the language of art. Some experi- ences are very brutal and horren- dous, others are incredibly profound and beautiful. From plane crash sur- vivors to mystically inclined schizo- phrenics, from despondent anorexics to mischievous young graffiti artists, whoever appears, | am_ always deeply inspired by the ability people have to express themselves at such a complex and powerful level when given the tools and opportunity to do so. Ae a journey into primary creativity Art therapy is a unique blend of psychother- apy combined with the promotion of personal and cre- ative expression. Using simple art materials such as paints, pastels, and clay, the art therapy client is encour- aged to delve into their feelings in a visual and sponta- neous way. When an art therapy piece has been com- pleted, the art therapist encourages the client to talk about his/her creation. Through this interactive dialogue that focuses on the art piece, the underlying metaphors, hidden feelings, and related issues are brought into con- sciousness where they can be released and resolved in an innovative and productive way. An art therapy client can be anyone, any age, seeking therapy in order to understand, and live in har- mony with, the complexity of the psyche and the emotional realm. this may be a person who is experiencing stress or confusion due to a difficulty or problem, such as a loss or separa- tion, a relationship dilemma, an illness, an eating disorder, an assault, or any other trauma or unresolved experience that may have occurred recently or long ago. Others who would also benefit from art therapy would be those who are seeking re-connection with a deeper sense of person- al creativity, purpose, and expressiveness in their lives. Although some may assume that previous art- making experience is necessary before engaging in art therapy, this is not true. In fact, the people who often cre- ate the most intense and evocative works of art are those who do not consider themselves to be "artists", per se. This is because they have no pre-conceived ideas about what art is, or is not; these people simply give into the experience of spontaneous, emotional expression. Those who do consider themselves to be artists may find that art therapy helps them to reconnect to their "primitive" side if they have lost this aspect of their expression due to over-intellectualization, rationalization, etc. In either case, the aim of art therapy is to free the psyche, and trust it to make it's own fantastic and uncensored imagery. While some may imagine that art therapists inter- pret the art, through some sort of standardized dictionary of symbolism, this is not the case, at all. Rather, the art therapist allows the art to speak entirely for itself through a respectful dialogue with the creator. Although arche- typal imagery does tend to appear in the art of art thera- py clients, the personal and emotional significance behind the images is always very unique and therefore beyond predetermined interpretation. The whole purpose of art therapy is to connect a person to the richness of his/her own symbolism and inner landscape, therefore an overt interpretation would be blatantly counter-productive. People often wonder what the difference is between fine art and art therapy. It's an intricate distinc- tion, but basically, fine art is most often a well thought- out, well-crafted piece, or series, based on self-expression but extending itself to public discourse and display; art therapy, on the other hand, is concerned only with the private and uncensored process of emotional expression itself. In other words, art therapy helps a person to dis- cover, or maintain primary creativity, meaning the ability to allow the unconscious to boldly speak its mind. While fine art often embodies this layer of primary creativity, and many fine artists are innately in touch with this layer, it is not necessarily a primary feature of all fine art. For example, a fine art piece can bypass the unconscious and emotional layers completely, and instead be about tech- nical ability, external form, etc. Art therapy is always inti- mately connected to the unconscious and emotional realm. Therefore, fine arts and art therapy are not sepa- rate disciplines, but simply, two different layers of the same overall territory of visual expression. Training to become an art therapist takes a minimum of 6 years of post-secondary education, and most art therapy programs exist at the graduate level. While many art therapists are artists themselves, with fine arts degrees, other art therapists come from backgrounds in psychology, health-care, etc. Whatever one’s background, the most important aspect of being an art therapist is having a deep sense of compassion for both art and the human condi- tiON. Without those, the degrees are futile. It's also mandatory that art therapists have undergone their own psychotherapy, so they know, from an experiential level, what it feels like to expose and re-organize ones psyche. There are also associations one must belong to, and eth- ical guidelines to follow, etc. All in all, becoming an art therapist is a wonderful journey of mind-altering scholas- tics combined with outstanding, creative discovery. Barbara Bernath welcomes new clients, comments, questions, and inquiries. She can be reached at The Therapeutic Arts Centre: Tel: (604) 730 1444 —_ Email: barbarabernath@telus.net Additional information on art therapy can be found on the web at The Vancouver Art Therapy Institute's web site: vati@be.ca rs TY oe By Barbara Bernath In my work as an art therapist, | have witnessed a vast array of human experiences transformed into the language of art. Some experi- ences are very brutal and horren- dous, others are incredibly profound and beautiful. From plane crash sur- vivors to mystically inclined schizo- phrenics, from despondent anorexics to mischievous young graffiti artists, whoever appears, | am always deeply inspired by the ability people have to express themselves at such a complex and powerful level when given the tools and opportunity to do so. a journey into primary creativity ‘Art therapy is a unique blend of psychother- apy combined with the promotion of personal and cre- ative expression. Using simple art materials such as paints, pastels, and clay, the art therapy client is encour- aged to delve into their feelings in a visual and sponta- neous way. When an art therapy piece has been com- pleted, the art therapist encourages the client to talk about his/her creation. Through this interactive dialogue that focuses on the art piece, the underlying metaphors, hidden feelings, and related issues are brought into con- sciousness where they can be released and resolved in an innovative and productive way. An art therapy client can be anyone, any age, seeking therapy in order to understand, and live in har- mony with, the complexity of the psyche and the emotional realm. this may be a person who is experiencing stress or confusion due to a difficulty or problem, such as a loss or separa- tion, a relationship dilemma, an illness, an eating disorder, an assault, or any other trauma or unresolved experience that may have occurred recently or long ago. Others who would also benefit from art therapy would be those who are seeking re-connection with a deeper sense of person- al creativity, purpose, and expressiveness in their lives. ‘Although some may assume that previous art- making experience is necessary before engaging in art therapy, this is not true. In fact, the people who often cre- ate the most intense and evocative works of art are those who do not consider themselves to be “artists”, per se. This is because they have no pre-conceived ideas about what art is, or is not; these people simply give into the experience of spontaneous, emotional expression. Those who do consider themselves to be artists may find that art therapy helps them to reconnect to their * primitive” side if they have lost this aspect of their expression due to over-intellectualization, rationalization, etc. In either case, the aim of art therapy is to free the psyche, and trust it to make it's own fantastic and uncensored imagery. While some may imagine that art therapists inter- pret the art, through some sort of standardized dictionary of symbolism, this is not the case, at all. Rather, the art therapist allows the art to speak entirely for itself through a respectful dialogue with the creator. Although arche- typal imagery does tend to appear in the art of art thera- py clients, the personal and emotional significance behind the images is always very unique and therefore beyond predetermined interpretation. The whole purpose of art therapy is to connect a person to the richness of his/her ‘own symbolism and inner landscape, therefore an overt interpretation would be blatantly counter-productive. People often wonder what the difference is between fine art and art therapy. It's an intricate distinc- tion, but basicaly, fine art is most often a well thought- out, well-crafted piece, or series, based on self-expression but extending itself to public discourse and display; art therapy, on the other hand, is concerned only with the private and uncensored process of emotional expression itself. In other words, art therapy helps a person to dis- cover, or maintain primary creativity, meaning the ability to allow the unconscious to boldly speak its mind. While fine art often embodies this layer of primary creativity, and many fine artists are innately in touch with this layer, it is not necessarily a primary feature of all fine art. For example, a fine art piece can bypass the unconscious and emotional layers completely, and instead be about tech- nical ability, external form, etc. Art therapy is always inti- mately connected to the unconscious and emotional realm. Therefore, fine arts and art therapy are not sepa- rate disciplines, but simply, two different layers of the same overall territory of visual expression. Training to become an art therapist takes a minimum of 6 years of post-secondary education, and most art therapy programs exist at the graduate level. While many art therapists are artists themselves, with fine arts degrees, other art therapists come from backgrounds in psychology, health-care, etc. Whatever one's background, the most important aspect of being an art therapist is having a deep sense of compassion for both art and the human condi- tiON. without those, the degrees are futile. It's also mandatory that art therapists have undergone their own psychotherapy, so they know, from an experiential level, what it feels like to expose and re-organize ones psyche. There are also associations one must belong to, and eth- ical guidelines to follow, etc. Allin all, becoming an art therapist is a wonderful journey of mind-altering scholas- tics combined with outstanding, creative discovery. Barbara Bernath welcomes new clients, comments, questions, and inquiries. She can be reached at The Therapeutic Arts Centre: Tel: (604) 730 1444 Email: barbarabernath@telus.net ‘Additional information on art therapy can be found on the web at The Vancouver Art Therapy Institute's web site: vati@bc.ca 1 ®@