Art Therapy and Hypnotherapy: A Creative Healing Approach

Life calls us at important junctures to attend, listen, and open to dialogue with our larger process. Moments of personal challenge and crisis often offer us our greatest opportunities for personal growth and resolution into our true being. Finding a healing voice is as important as listening and being listened to, and I believe that the voice carries intrinsic healing qualities. Cultivating a kind and compassionate voice is particularly powerful, much like the benefits of art therapy in promoting creative healing. As a hypnotherapist, my role often begins with lending an ear, then offering a voice, and finally witnessing the power of my clients as they access and strengthen their own healing voice through various hypnotherapy techniques. I have had the benefit of receiving my training at the HYPNOTHERAPY TRAINING INSTITUTE, which has equipped me with a full range of approaches. I primarily utilize Ericksonian principles to facilitate mindfulness along with Internal Family Systems 'Parts Therapy' and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Find out more about hypnosis at https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hypnosis/about/pac-20394405.

There are multiple ways to touch our deeper centers of meaning and perspective. Creative expression, a vital aspect of creative healing, is something we all have waiting to be tapped, whether or not we have yet discovered our preferred medium or modality. While the process of handling, playing, and working with art media can be healing on many levels in and of itself (Art As Therapy, Tessa Dalley, 1984), it can also serve as a powerful psychotherapy modality for expressing, clarifying, and resolving symptoms, showcasing the art therapy benefits (Art Psychotherapy, Wadeson, 1980). You may enjoy recalling various sensory delights you discovered as a child, which may include playing in the water and sand at the beach, making 'mud pies' in the backyard, or experiencing the magic of images forming as you explore finger paints.

Art Therapy is an active, empowering form of therapy that supports the safe expression of what may have initially seemed difficult or impossible. It allows us to clarify internal experiences and find new perspectives for resolving a multitude of human experiences. Just as listening and attending to our body language is a potent source of understanding, our personal symbols and imagery provide deep wells of knowledge that reward our engagement.

We all have pools of wisdom—tender places of access where we connect, share, and recharge our spirit. At times, we may find this resonance in nature’s formations, while at other times it manifests in our own hands. Creative Arts Therapy is embedded in our human gestures and expressions, offering rich facets of experience to appreciate and learn from. Sometimes, this process flows playfully and spontaneously, seemingly without much thought or intention, while at other times it can be a more conscious endeavor, driven by passionate commitment and purpose. As a multimedia art therapist, I have a broad view of what creative therapeutic media can include, even incorporating hypnotherapy techniques when appropriate.

Read more about Art Therapy and its benefits from the American Art Therapy Association http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/upload/whatisarttherapy.pdf