Expressive Arts Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapy (ExAT) uses modalities such as visual art, creative writing, sound and music, movement, drama, and play to integrate sensory information and emotional expression and help clients initiate change. Sessions often involve non-linguistic arts processes, so this differs from traditional talk therapies.
Using art and mindfulness to create change
Expressive arts methods have been used to change, heal, and create wellbeing in individuals and communities for centuries. In my work I use a combination of mindfulness and expressive arts modalities as tools to help individuals meet their goals and move in the direction they want to take in their lives. Both mindfulness and expressive arts therapy are evidence-based practices that are used as interventions for a variety of mental health concerns and can complement other types of interventions.
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Natalie Rogers explains ExAT in her article, "The Path to Wholeness" :
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Expressive arts therapy uses various arts—movement, drawing, painting, sculpting, music, writing, sound, and improvisation—in a supportive setting to facilitate growth and healing. It is a process of discovering ourselves through any art form that comes from an emotional depth. It is not creating a 'pretty' picture. It is not a dance ready for the stage. It is not a poem written and rewritten to perfection.
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Expressive art means going into our inner realms to discover feelings and to express them through visual art, movement, sound, writing, or drama.
They are ways to release your feelings, clear your mind, raise your spirits, and bring yourself into higher states of consciousness."