1. BETWEEN COGNITION AND FEELINGS
DURING ART THERAPY INTERVENTIONS
The Arch of Arts in Health
International conference
Haifa, Israel 2013
Ruth Harpaz Ph.D
Art Therapist and Psychotherapist

2. Art Therapy Definition
Art therapy “Uses the creative process of art
making to improve and enhance the physical,
mental and emotional well-being of individuals
of all ages“.
(The American Art Therapy Association, AATA)

3. Art Therapy is, by professional definition, a
cognitive and emotional diagnostic and treatment
process.
The popular assumption is that the main thoughts
and feelings arising from a patient's unconscious
mind are expressed mainly through art, which
serves as a non-verbal means of communicating
various feelings, behaviors, angers and urges, both
conscious and unconscious, abilities and
difficulties.

4. Creating an embryo visual artistic representation, “paper
pulp” technique by 10 years old blind girl.

5. In recent years art psychotherapy approaches
have been based on brain science for
understanding therapeutic processes occurring
in the brain during treatment and examination
of the emotional connections between brain
and biological processes and various treatment
modalities.

6. Brain information processing that occurs in art
therapy sessions has dual significance both in
terms of expression and of the creative
processing (i.e. artistic creative therapy
primarily in visual art). Due to its importance it
has been studied in recent years by art
therapists (Kaplan, 1998; Malchiodi, 1998;
McNiff, 1998).

7. Furthermore, a growing number of art therapists
claim that art therapists must know and study the
brain structures, information processing and
expression which take part in art psychotherapy
therapy treatments (Malchiodi, 2003; Kaplan,
2000; Menzen, 2001).
Malchiodi (2003) claims that the art therapy
treatment process is an interaction between body
and mind.

8. Art therapy intervention with a 8
years old boy diagnosed as ADHD

9. Art therapy intervention with a 8
years old boy diagnosed as
ADHD

10. Current information on the functioning of the
various brain regions that has accumulated in
recent years allows a better understanding of
therapeutic processes in art therapy.
This information is attained through various
imaging tests such as PET and MRI, and these
examinations contribute to understanding brain
information processing and the importance of
various organs in the brain.

11. The interventions in Art Therapy are beneficial
in several areas:
1. Construction and rehabilitation of physical
failures (Menzen, 2001; Kaplan, 2000).
2. Promotion of mental, emotional and physical
healing (Malchiodi, 1999a, 1999b; Kaplan,
2000).
3. Improvement of emotional and cognitive
growth ((Kaplan, 2000; Menzen, 2001; Rosal,
1992).

12. Visual Artistic Representations
Since the processes taking place within the mind in
the art therapy intervention, are not "visible" we can
see them only through different representations the
patient expresses or creates and through the
therapist's interpretation of them.
The discussion of the development and appearance of
visual or verbal artistic representations is based on
two perspectives: one from the field of cognitive and
neuroscience theories and the second from a more
philosophical approach based on the
phenomenological theory in art therapy.

13. The claims that underlie my researches are that:
1. Representations through art and other images in the
art psychotherapy process develop as a result of
information processing in the brain.
2. The meaning of visual and verbal representations
therapeutic process can be analyzed and understood
through the phenomenological approach to art
psychotherapy.

14. The interaction between the Neuro-Biological brain
processing approach and the Phenomenological
approach in Art Psychotherapy :
This interaction creates a new language of reference
for understanding the art psychotherapeutic process
and a new "Neuro-Phenomenological"
conceptualization of art psychotherapy, based on an
understanding of cognitive and emotional processing
in the brain and a phenomenological interpretation
for the visual artistic representations that emerge
during therapy.

15. Information Processing in Art Therapy Intervention
Executive Visual
Functions:
Attention, Perception
Memory,
Cognitive
Brain
information
processing
Auditory Motoric
Tactile and
Emotional Senso -
motoric

16. Phenomenological features in decoding visual
artistic representations(betansky,1995):
Visual representation-symbolizing expression
with art materials and art components.
 Symbolic expression of Shape
 Symbolic expression of Color
 Symbolic expression of Line
 Symbolic expression of Composition

17. Examples of line, color, shape and composition visual
artistic representations by children with cognitive
impairment and retardation.

18. “Feelings”- different artistic visual
representations, polymer clay technique-
group art therapy intervention (adults)

19. STAGES IN ART THERAPY(BETANSKY,1995):
Sequence One: Pre Art Play with Art Materials-direct
experiencing.
Sequence Two :The Process of Art Work -creating a
phenomenon.
Sequence three :Phenomenological Intuiting
1.Visual Display
2.Distancing
3.Intentional Looking to See(i.e. the visual artistic
representation)
Sequence Four :What Do You See? Procedure
1. Phenomenological Description
2.Study of Structure, Interrelated Components and the
whole-Quality
3. Phenomenological Connecting and Integration

20. “Aggression and Rage”
visual artistic representation
with Plasticine by a 9 years
old boy (the scissors are part
of the boy art work).

21. In order to illustrate this new language I have created
a "Neuro-Cognitive Processing Model" in art
psychotherapy.
This model was developed as a tool for assessment and
treatment of children and adults, in individual and
group therapy, in treatment of trauma,
loss and bereavement, using means
of artistic expression.

22. The artistic expression tools are used for two
therapeutic goals which reciprocally affect one
another:
One is used for diagnosis through the ability to
express (non verbally) a variety of abilities,
feelings and difficulties that overwhelm the
person.
The second is used as a treatment tool by creating
processes resulting in attitude change and by
improving feelings and behaviors through the
"indirect agent" of an artistic apparatus.

23. The model 1 is based on understanding the brain and
its functioning, information processing and
conceptualization in art therapy, and is illustrated
graphically
BRAIN PROCESSING
INTERNAL REPREZENTAION CHANGE
CREATING NEW CONNECTIONS
EXTERNAL VERBAL OR
VISUAL REPREZENTATION
Brain
processing
SHARING AND MIRORRING PATIENT AND
THERAPIST BRAIN
PROCESSING
PHENOMENOLOGIC ART THERAPY APPROACH
1 Based on Harpaz,R. (2010)." Miraculous Brain" – The Healing Factor in Therapeutic and
Growth Processes in Art Psycho-Therapy. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation

24. ART THERAPY PROCESS
Transitional
Brain
space: visual or information
verbal artistic processing
representation
Transitional space
Patient Therapist
1 Based on Harpaz,R. (2010)." Miraculous Brain" –
The Healing Factor in Therapeutic and Growth Processes in Art Psycho-Therapy. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation

25. In summary
The Therapeutic intervention in Art Therapy
1. Cognitive and emotional information processing
in the brain itself.
2. Projection and extroversion of contents which
include difficulties, conflicts and other themes,
through internal representations using visual or
verbal representations expressed as external
representations.

26. 3. Reprocessing of external representations, after
undergoing the interaction process with the
therapist, and turning them into new internal
representations.
4. Creating new connections and representations in
the brain when these are "insights", saving them in
the brain and removing them in a new form that is
more compatible with the new reality.

27. Thank you
Ruth Harpaz Ph.D
Art Therapist and Psychotherapist
Individual, Couple and Family Therapy.
Snuezlen( Controlled Sensory Stimulation Therapy)
Thantalogy (Coping with Grief Death and
Bereavement Therapy.
Trauma Therapy – EMDR and other Therapeutic
methods.
Member of the T.D.I (Israeli Trauma Organization)
and ESTD (European Trauma and Dissociation
Association).
Member of YAHAT (The Israeli Organization of
Expressive and Creative Therapies)
Web Site: WWW.HEBPSY .NET/RUTHHARPAZ