Page 42 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes

Therapist 1:” She was struggling; knowing that she had to let go and feel her emotions, but being afraid of it at the same time”.
Therapist 2: “He uses a very different art material with very different prop- erties in his own typical way; he continues to also use the paint-brush like a pencil.”
More interaction was observed when the client made use of the inherent properties of the art material. Playing existed when the client did not focus on the art product but enjoyed the interaction with the art materials and discovered new aspects and possibilities of the art material. Doing and experiencing then characterized the art making process.
Therapist 1:”Then, there was more room for playing with the materials. In interaction, through doing, looking, from feeling, not from the head, he found what he liked, instead of focusing on what everybody else thinks”.
Motivation
Six art therapists reported that they frequently observed some form of resistance at the beginning of the assessment period. Clients often did not exactly know what to expect of art therapy and what was expected of them. Some clients were skeptical about how art therapy could help them with their problems.
Therapist 4:” He was very shallow, pretended everything was fine and he held on to that during the whole period of assessment”.
All art therapists mentioned that art therapy appeals to doing and experiencing. Therefore, clients who tended to rationalize often found it hard not being able to rely on their verbalization strength and other familiar ways of rationalizing. This confrontation led to tension and reluctance for some clients.
Motivation was influenced by the client’s experience during art making and their ability to reflect on the art product. The ability to see that the art product was a reflection of how they made the product and that it resembled their personal ways of functioning in daily life contributed to the client’s motivation.
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