Every single person has their own way of expressing their feelings. It could be through music, dance, writing, or painting. This is precisely what expressive art therapy means and does—it’s a creative approach to addressing your inner self through art.
Expressive art therapy is one of the most effective methods for self-discovery. Self-expression helps to open the door to self-reflection and introspection. This is an important step during rehab and recovery from addiction.
What Is Expressive Art Therapy?
Expressive art therapy is a dynamic therapeutic process, combining psychology and creativity. The goal is to improve emotional growth and foster wellness in patients with substance misuse or addiction issues.
Art therapy harnesses a person’s raw emotions and inner desires to create art in any form. Expressive art therapy can involve writing poetry, painting, writing stories, and more. The psychological part of art therapy activities can help a person see their true self. Being creative has the potential to help people explore different forms of art, which broadens their sense of imagination.
Some important things you should know when it comes to expressive art therapy include:
- Art as Process: The process of creating is just as valuable as the finished piece
- Create Your Space: This is your time, so find an uninterrupted space to create
- Focus On the Journey: Don’t prioritize the aesthetic beauty of the art
- Improvise: Make art with the materials you have access to
- Follow Picasso’s Advice: Create art like a child, with reckless abandon and fun
How Does Art Therapy Work?
Art therapy helps people explore their emotions, thoughts, and experiences through creative activities. Unlike talk therapy, it uses art as a way to express feelings that might be hard to put into words. This can be especially helpful for people in recovery.
The main focus of art therapy is on the act of creating, not the final piece of art. Whether you’re drawing, painting, or writing, the process can help you understand your emotions and discover new things about yourself. This method can reduce stress, build self-awareness, and make you more emotionally strong.
Some simple art therapy ideas for substance abuse include creating visual journals that show their journey using pictures and colors. Another is using different forms of poetry, like haikus or slam poetry, to put into words what is happening internally. These activities not only offer a creative way to express feelings but also promote mindfulness and a sense of achievement.
3 Powerful Expressive Art Therapy Activities for Adults
When you search for “art therapy near me,” you’ll see lists of hundreds of expressive art therapy activities to try. Each of the art therapy options has value and meaning, but here are three of the most powerful artistic endeavors:
Poetry for Healing
Poetry is one of the best expressive art therapy activities to communicate deep, intense, and often scary emotions. These serious feelings are sometimes too difficult to voice through talk therapy.
Poetry in any form helps put your feelings into words, which in turn helps address and overcome emotions. Writing poetry, short stories, or creative nonfiction can also give patients a different perspective on their lives.
Map Your Emotions
Creating a map of feelings in expressive art therapy can be a mirror that reflects your inner thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It’s a great way to visually depict what you feel, using images and symbols that list all the feelings you encounter daily. This could include everything from the moment you wake up to when you drift off to sleep. “Feeling states” are expressed as adjectives, such as:
- Angry
- Excited
- Happy
- Sleepy
- Worried
- Annoyed
- Stressed
- Apathetic
You start by placing your feeling states randomly on a piece of paper. Then, you draw an arrow from one feeling state to the other, creating a map of your mood cycle during a typical day. You can enhance your map by drawing or coloring your environment around each feeling. What is around you, and how does that make you feel?
Create a Self-Portrait
You don’t need to be an artist to create expressive art. Making a self-portrait using symbols and shapes can be the first step to making art in art therapy. This self-portrait can be a collage of images representing your personality that you glue, or symbols that you draw or color on paper. Your art therapy portrait of yourself can serve as an ongoing, living project that changes with you as you heal, learn, grow, and recover.
The Role of Art Therapy in Substance Abuse Recovery
There is so much power in art. In rehab, expressive art therapy helps people achieve personal growth, self-discovery, and self-expression. Through activities like painting, drawing, and poetry, you can explore your emotions and experiences in a non-verbal way. Combining recovery art therapy ideas with other programs helps you better understand yourself, manage stress, and build healthier coping mechanisms as you heal from addiction.
Discover Expressive Art Therapy at Aftermath Addiction Treatment Center
If you or someone you love is battling addiction, Aftermath Addiction Treatment Center is here to help. We integrate expressive art therapy into our programs to help patients connect with their true selves and find healing. This unique approach offers a powerful pathway to self-discovery and personal growth.
Reach out to us today through our secure online form or call 855-795-1226 to learn how expressive art therapy can be an essential part of your recovery journey. Let us help you uncover the strength and potential within you.
