Art Therapy -

‘ What you think will happen…usually does ‘ – NLP Neuro Lingusitic Programming.  

I qualified as a teacher in 1990 and whilst studying took an interest in how art / creativity can be used to enhance learning.  Every child / young adult infact everyone can draw and especally in young children there is no apprehension about drawing.  It is seen as fun and not ‘ work.’  As such a tremendous amount can be achieved where a child thinks they are simply having fun as opposed to working.  They are relaxed and enjoying a process. 

My therapy sessions often include encouraging a client to draw or represent something on a page.  The physical act of putting pencil to paper and working out something they may be thinking gives another dimension to a particular problem and also provides personal insight to both of us which may not have been possible by simply using words since our thinking is conscious and actually many of the problems that we have are stored in our unconscious mind. 

Drawing unlocks unconscious thoughts.   

The results are often quite remarkable.  

Drawing helps with regards to visualisations since ‘ whatever you think will happen generally does ( NLP – neuro linguistic programming ).’  Drawing a diagram or a sketch to illustrate where you want to be often stimulates conversation about why you want to be there,  what may stop you getting there,  what can be done to achieve your goal and so on.  Infact I have found that working with people who are initially quite resistant to drawing since ‘ they cannot draw’ often gets the best results. Once they begin to sketch and draw and we work together the conversations we have and the questions that are provoked may not have been possible by simply thinking about an issue.  People add things and cross things out and add colour and so on.  I have found it useful when clients are having family problems as they then take home to their children what they have learned in our session and work with their children in the same way – getting the children to explain their problems by ‘ drawing and talking and then re-drawing to explain how they would like to improve a situation.’ The children are often completely unaware that their parent is actually trying to change or work with a behaviour issue as ‘ drawing is fun ‘ and the resulting conversations and insights  are enlightening.  If nothing else simply spending time with  a child and sharing an activity has to be a good thing.

I work with cancer patients who sometimes initally see their treatment as a villain.  Cancer treatment and some of the language that sometimes surrounds it can lead to a negotive perception for example that the side effects may make the client feel sick,  cause hair loss and so on.  This often leads to the patient feeling hostile towards the treatment.  If however instead they can see the treatment as infact a friend,  something that may have initial side effects but rather that these side effects are necessary to indicate the treatment is doing its best to help them then they can work with the treatment as opposed to against it.  Remember ‘ what you think will happen,  usually does.’  If you are interested in art therapy and the treatment of cancer I would recommend Getting Well Again by Carl Simonton.

I would also recommend The Secret World of Drawings by Gregg M. Furth for a more general insight into the subject area. 

I use art therapy as a tool in my sessions where and when appropriate in the same way that I use Neuro Linguistic Programming,  Cognitive Behavioural Therapy,  Emotional Freedom Therapy ( tapping ),  RCP ( similar to EMDR ) and Hypnosis. 

I will always discuss the structure of our session at the beginning to ensure you are happy to proceed and will explain fully any processes you may require clarification on.  There is no obligation to do anything you do not want to do as there are many different ways to reach the same desired outcome.

Art therapy works very well where someone feels stuck or unsure of what they want or where they want to be since it accesses unconscious thoughts and is able to bypass the logical conscious thinking often ‘ judgemental’ mind.

If you are interested in art therapy or would like to discuss it further please give me a call.  There is no obligtion to book an appointment at all.  I look forward to working with you,  Fiona.

Contact – 07968 106113