What is ANTHROPOSOPHICAL ART THERAPY?
Anthroposohical art therapy works from the principle that illness often has its roots in the soul and artistic work is an expression of the soul. Artistic therapy works through the soul to strengthen and bring harmony and balance to the whole human being, stimulating healing forces (salutogenesis).
Mainstream art therapy is considered a non-verbal psychotherapy arising predominantly out of the work of Freud and Jung. It makes use of free expression as its main diagnostic/healing modality. In anthroposophical art therapy, to the contrary, free expression is seen as the expression of an illness. Continued, repeated expression of that illness—although it may provide momentary relief to the soul because it is purgative - can even have the unwanted effect of entrenching the illness more deeply.
Free expression may be used diagnostically and to assess progress but, it is not used therapeutically. Instead, a path of healing exercises is prescribed to lead the patient toward health. Artistic exercises are given to educate, or re-educate faculties, change old patterns and to develop new capacities. As well, social exercises in painting and clay modeling may be used to build communication skills in isolated individuals and awaken awareness and empathy for others.
The Medical Root
The medical root of artistic therapy draws from the early collaborative work of Dr. Rudolf Steiner (1861 – 1925) and Ita Wegman M.D. (1876 – 1943) and from the artistic-therapeutic work carried forward by Dr. Margarethe Hauschka (1896 – 1980), and others since then. An understanding of the language of color and its relationship to light and darkness arose from the extensive research of both J. W. Goethe (1749 – 1832) and Rudolf Steiner.