Expressive techniques are characterized by promoting body work, music work, painting and working with various artistic mediums.
After a spoken introduction, a space for creativity is developed and the deepest feelings of a person are put into motion while working creatively. When this has finished, spoken language is used to integrate experiences and to share them with the therapist.
These expressive techniques promote an encounter with the patient's deepest feelings and conflicts. Such an encounter would be very difficult if only spoken language was use.
The key to arriving to this encounter is the development of expressive techniques and the therapist's guidance.
Art therapy is one of the tools of these techniques that promote the expression of feelings .
The process is characterised by the dialogue of the person along with the artistic medium, thus emerging forth the artistic object.
Art therapy proposes the free creation of images as a support to the person during their process of inner growth.
The work of the art therapist is to create a safe place that helps and encourages the person to understand their emotions and deepest feelings. In art therapy, a three point relation occurs: patient, the artistic object and therapist.
