Seeking professional help for addiction can be challenging because there are so many treatment options available. Finding the right place to receive treatment is important. Many addiction centers will provide various forms of therapy and possibly include alternative therapies like art therapy. This is generally offered in combination with other forms of therapeutic support for the healing journey.
Types of Therapy
In art therapy, a person uses creativity and imagination to make art which expresses a person’s thoughts, feelings and emotions in a productive way. The goal of art therapy is to provide a form of communication that best supports conveyance of experiences. Typically included in art therapy modalities are:
- Painting
- Sculpting
- Dancing
- Drawing
- Acting
- Music
- Poetry
SAMHSA’s (Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy) provides art therapy as a type of expressive group therapy which helps people express thoughts and feelings that cannot be said with words. This is especially helpful for people who have underlying psychological issues related to addiction or a history of abuse. Creating art is generally a nonverbal process which expands a person’s ideas and provides space to explore and resolve issues in a person’s life.
Types of Therapy
There are different types of therapeutic techniques within art therapy that can be helpful. These include the following:
- Gestalt methods where the therapist helps the person work out current feelings and experiences using artwork as an introduction into deeper conversation or a tool for the person to explain thoughts through artwork.
- Active imagination where the person uses artwork as a starting point and the mind is allowed to create spontaneous free associations which open the door to be more introspective
- Third-hand approach which uses help from the therapist to create an artistic vision
Art therapy is a helpful, useful technique to support people undergoing addiction treatment as it provides ways to understand and cope with addiction. Both art therapy and traditional therapy focus on helping a person practice introspection and healthy coping skills but art therapy provides a broader range of experiences from which to draw introspectively. When done in a group setting, art therapy can help people going through addiction treatment grow closer together.
Art Therapy and Addiction Treatment
Art therapy can be a great way for a person to work through the experiences, emotions and issues that led to and worsened addiction. It offers a safe place to communicate ideas and feelings without standard conversational methods. If a loved one has been considering art therapy as part of an addiction treatment plan, it takes time to decide which route to go.
Cypress Lakes incorporates music and art therapy to help people open up to addiction treatment and recovery. A combination of art and music therapy has been shown to have a positive impact on people’s recovery. We believe music and art therapy are of great importance to you in treatment from a holistic perspective. Call us to get started: 877-938-1577