Art Therapy
When I was 17 years old and learned from a young Dutch woman about her study of art therapy in Holland, I was excited.
And for at least two reasons. She named something that I spontaneously did throughout my childhood and adolescence. My personal art therapy has included writing, painting, modeling and dance. I loved and still love the process, which for me was a private island of safety, joy and discovery, and dare I say healing, because thanks to my immersion in creativity, I survived moments that were challenging, painful and where without my creativity I would have felt very lonely and lost. I was always creating, it was as natural to me as playing.
I didn't join any clubs, my painting, writing and dancing were spontaneous, based on my inner needs. Finding out that there is art therapy also made me happy because at the age of seventeen I realized:
Yes, I want it, I want to share this inner joy of creating and discovering with other people, so that they can discover how rich the world can be inside each of us and how the process that takes place during creation can be healing.
A lot of people thought and still think, even though the situation is changing a lot, that only people who have talent can create.
I found out that my clients often got stuck at school or in families as children, where these creative processes are constantly evaluated and supposedly have no proper value unless you have a truly exceptional talent. Art therapy is about a process that takes place in you and that comes from you, which makes it unique and, above all, extremely valuable for you. It is a path to self-discovery, a path without censorship, a path thanks to which you can reconnect with forgotten parts of yourself, your dreams, your emotions, your inner stories, your own sources of healing.
If you are interested in learning more about my own process and the process of working with clients, about the difference between art therapy and art phyletics, about studying art therapy, and also why and how I think art therapy and art phyletics should be taught in elementary schools, continue further.