Introduction

Our deepest thoughts are often hard to put into words. There are times when we feel like we can not explain how we feel or what we have been through. This can make us feel more stressed, which can affect our physical and mental health in the long run. However, there is a healthier and more creative alternative for those who struggle to identify and articulate their emotions. 

Let us read about this way out - Art therapy and how it can help people better deal with their strong emotions and express them in a healthier and organic manner.

What is art therapy?

Art is the most diverse and expressive form of human expression, with a wide range of art forms. It is an effective tool for healing, personal growth, and self-discovery.

Art therapy is a discipline that began in the 1940s and became more popular in the 1970s. It is a type of expressive therapy in which different art forms (painting, drawing, sculpting etc.) are used to promote psychological, emotional, and physical well-being.⁵

It emphasizes visual and symbolic expression by encouraging people to engage with aspects such as colour, shape, line, space, balance, and texture. It gives the person the freedom to engage with many aspects of their mind and being, such as cognition, emotion, and intuition.

Art therapy differs from art classes in that it is usually not guided. Art therapists help their clients feel better by letting them express themselves creatively. Clients are free to make anything they want. When clients express themselves through art, they become more aware of their inner states and are better able to deal with their deeper problems and issues.

Art therapists are trained to understand how specific patterns and features of an art piece indicate underlying thoughts and feelings. The therapist analyses the client's creative process and product rather than leading the session. 

These works of art can be used as visual records to help both the therapist and the client see how the client has changed and grown.

Art therapy can help resolve many conditions, some of which are:¹ 

• Mood disorders and low self-esteem
• Emotional expression and coping mechanism for stress
• Depressive symptoms
• Anxiety, fatigue, cognitive disorders
• Addictions
• Post-traumatic stress disorders
• Helps to treat learning difficulties

How does art therapy work?

Art therapy is based on the idea that making art is a good way to express yourself and can help you heal or learn more about how you act and who you are. According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapists are taught how colour, texture, and different types of art media can be used in therapy and how they can help people show what they are thinking, feeling, and how they are mentally.

Researchers have observed various benefits of art therapy in their research conducted on patients with behavioral or personality disorders, some of these benefits are:

• Perception and Self-Perception: Using art, the participants were able to connect their emotions with their body awareness, identify their emotional reactions, and concentrate on the present
• They strengthened their identity and self-image through the process of personal integration
• They improved their ability to regulate and control emotions
• They learned to change their behavioural responses to themselves and others, possibly because of the self-directed nature of art-making
• They talked about their feelings and experiences, which helped them understand and gain insight

Why is it important to express emotions?

One of the most amazing and unique things about being human is that our bodies are built to feel emotions. We can choose whether to show them or not. Feelings of sadness, anger, or joy are normal reactions to the events that our brains process on a daily basis. Our brain processes and assigns emotions to every experience we have. For example, have you ever wondered why certain smells make our hearts race or why an old song makes us sad?

It is important to be aware of these feelings as they happen. Being aware means being aware of how they make us feel. Also, it is important to know what causes them to happen. This helps you deal with your feelings and let them go in a healthy way. For example, venting or dumping intense emotions is not always beneficial. In fact, it might hurt more than we think. We need to be aware of our feelings, let them out, and then move on. 

Someone does not have to slam a door, yell into a pillow, or even tell someone about their feelings in order to express them. It can happen entirely in our minds, too. Instead of getting enraged at someone, we must forget the story and feel the emotion inside. One thing we can tell ourselves is, ‘I am angry, and that is okay’.

In that way, we loosen the emotion's hold on our health. Additionally, expressing our feelings has many other advantages:

• Helps see problems from a new perspective
• Makes decision-making and problem-solving easier
• Reduces anxiety, elevates mood, and mitigates depressive symptoms

Our brains often go into the ‘fight-or-flight’ state when we do not talk about how we feel. This physical response to stress initiates a series of events throughout our bodies. It raises our heart rate, slows digestion, and makes us feel anxious or depressed. 

This is why it is essential to express these emotions in a healthy manner. When we express our feelings in a healthy way, we can understand them, feel them fully, and move on.

Understanding anger and its impacts?

Anger is defined by psychologists as "an emotional state that ranges in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage." Both internal and external events can cause anger. For instance, you may be mad at your boss, a coworker, or an unexpected situation or cancelled plan. Worrying or thinking about your problems can also make you angry.

As with other emotions, anger causes changes in the body. When you are angry, your heart rate, blood pressure, and the levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline all go up.

It is natural to act aggressively when you are angry. People deal with their anger via both conscious and unconscious ways. Suppressing, expressing, and calming are the three common ways we deal with this emotion.

The healthiest way to express anger is to be assertive rather than aggressive. To do so, you must first learn how to communicate your needs and how to meet them without causing harm to others. Being assertive does not mean being pushy or demanding; it means treating other people and yourself with respect.

Anger can be suppressed, then transformed or redirected. You can avoid this by controlling your anger, turning your attention to something good, and not thinking about the previous situation. The goal is to control your anger and turn it into more positive behaviour. This kind of reaction is risky because your anger can turn inward and toward yourself if you can not let it out. Turning your anger inward can lead to depression or high blood pressure.

Finally, you can unwind inside or calm down your inner world. This means controlling both what you do and how you feel inside. For example, you could take steps to slow down your heart rate, calm down, and let the feelings go.

As a result, anger management is essential for reducing your emotional feelings as well as the physiological arousal caused by anger. You cannot eliminate, avoid, or change the things or people that irritate you, but you can learn to control your reactions. We can do a variety of things to calm ourselves down on a deeper level and reduce the negative health effects of anger. Art therapy can help us deal with our anger more effectively.

Benefits of art therapy for anger management

By engaging in an art form, you can experience its amazing benefits for yourself. It works as a powerful tool for anger management in the following ways:⁶

• Emotional expression: It provides a safe environment for people to express and explore their feelings, allowing them to articulate emotions that would otherwise be difficult to express
• Stress relief: Creative activities can help to reduce stress and anxiety by encouraging relaxation and a sense of calm
• Self-reflection: Art encourages introspection, which allows people to better understand the underlying causes of their anger and develop healthier coping strategies
• Nonverbal communication: Art provides an alternative means of conveying emotions and experiences for those who find it difficult to communicate verbally
•  Mindfulness: Making art promotes mindfulness, which helps people stay present and focused, which can help reduce impulsive reactions associated with anger
• Channelize negative energy: It acts as a helpful channel to vent out angry emotions. It gives a physical manifestation of the emotions of anger by creating symbols and metaphors for anger
• Problem-solving skills: develops problem-solving skills in the individual, allowing them to seek basic understanding in order to delay their anger or avoid reacting to a situation immediately

Techniques used in art therapy for anger management

Art therapy techniques are a variety of therapeutic techniques used by a trained therapist to facilitate self-expression through nonverbal means, achieve inner peace, resolve conflicts, improve their perspective on life, and modify maladaptive behaviours.

Here's a list of art therapy techniques used in counselling and therapy:

Visual arts

 It is a broad term for different kinds of artistic expression that include what we see. This type includes paintings, drawings, and sculpture.⁴

Painting or drawing 

Two very common types of art therapy are painting and drawing. It is also the most versatile art medium because almost anyone can pick up a pencil or paintbrush and begin creating art.

Sculpture

 It is also called ‘family sculpting’ because family members often do it alone in therapy to make statues of each other. Most of the time, married couples, parents, and children attend these sessions together and work with a therapist to create sculptures according to a set of instructions.

Collage 

This form is one of the least intimidating because it allows the most creativity without artistic skills. To create something new, participants cut and paste paper, fabric, or other materials on a paper or board. Participants can better express their feelings through collages by choosing pictures or fabrics with a certain colour or texture. 

Performing arts

 It is an artistic expression presented in front of an audience. This art includes all forms of art that use the body, voice, and occasionally objects or props to convey an expression or message. The main focus is on the live performance and engagement with the audience. Music, dance, and opera are all examples of this type of art.³

Music art therapy 

The naturally uplifting qualities of music are used in music art therapy to help people improve their mental health and overall well-being. As part of this goal-oriented intervention, people may write songs, sing, dance, listen to music, and talk about music.² 

Dance art therapy

DMT, which stands for dance/movement therapy, is the use of movement in therapy to help people integrate their emotions, social lives, mental health, and physical health (American Dance Therapy Association).

Literary arts

 It is also called literature, which includes both spoken and written work that is done to share thoughts, feelings, and stories through language. This type of writing includes books, short stories, poems, essays, plays, and a lot more.

Writing art therapy 

A lot of therapists use it to help their clients write down how they feel. It gives clients and therapists different ways to talk to each other that can help their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Creative writing for therapy includes poetry, stories, narratives, and funny dialogue. In this type of art therapy, a client can freely express whatever comes to mind or focus on certain problems or feelings 

Applied arts

It is the use of art to add design and aesthetics to functional and practical objects. Applied art seeks to fulfill a functional purpose while combining aspects of design, creativity, and craftsmanship, in contrast to fine arts, which are primarily created for aesthetic or conceptual purposes. 

This kind of art involves producing things that have aesthetic and practical value, as in the cases of graphic, fashion, interior, and architectural design. 

Summary

Art therapy takes many forms and uses a variety of artistic mediums. Some therapists may use a combination of art mediums to tailor each session to the individuals involved. Participants can learn more about themselves, their place in their closest circles and in the world, and how to deal with their current situation under the supervision of a professional art therapist. Art therapy benefits many people in a variety of situations or with conditions that may limit their daily functioning.