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BETWEEN COGNITION AND FEELINGSDURING ART THERAPY INTERVENTIONSThe Arch of Arts in HealthInternational conferenceHaifa, Israel 2013Ruth Harpaz Ph.DArt Therapist and Psychotherapist

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Art Therapy DefinitionArt therapy “Uses the creative process of artmaking to improve and enhance the physical,mental and emotional well-being of individualsof all ages“.(The American Art Therapy Association, AATA)

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Art Therapy is, by professional definition, acognitive and emotional diagnostic and treatmentprocess.The popular assumption is that the main thoughtsand feelings arising from a patients unconsciousmind are expressed mainly through art, whichserves as a non-verbal means of communicatingvarious feelings, behaviors, angers and urges, bothconscious and unconscious, abilities anddifficulties.

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

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In recent years art psychotherapy approacheshave been based on brain science forunderstanding therapeutic processes occurringin the brain during treatment and examinationof the emotional connections between brainand biological processes and various treatmentmodalities.

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Brain information processing that occurs in arttherapy sessions has dual significance both interms of expression and of the creativeprocessing (i.e. artistic creative therapyprimarily in visual art). Due to its importance ithas been studied in recent years by arttherapists (Kaplan, 1998; Malchiodi, 1998;McNiff, 1998).

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Furthermore, a growing number of art therapistsclaim that art therapists must know and study thebrain structures, information processing andexpression which take part in art psychotherapytherapy treatments (Malchiodi, 2003; Kaplan,2000; Menzen, 2001).Malchiodi (2003) claims that the art therapytreatment process is an interaction between bodyand mind.

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

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Art therapy intervention with a 8years old boy diagnosed asADHD

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Current information on the functioning of thevarious brain regions that has accumulated inrecent years allows a better understanding oftherapeutic processes in art therapy.This information is attained through variousimaging tests such as PET and MRI, and theseexaminations contribute to understanding braininformation processing and the importance ofvarious organs in the brain.

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The interventions in Art Therapy are beneficialin several areas:1. Construction and rehabilitation of physicalfailures (Menzen, 2001; Kaplan, 2000).2. Promotion of mental, emotional and physicalhealing (Malchiodi, 1999a, 1999b; Kaplan,2000).3. Improvement of emotional and cognitivegrowth ((Kaplan, 2000; Menzen, 2001; Rosal,1992).

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Visual Artistic RepresentationsSince the processes taking place within the mind inthe art therapy intervention, are not "visible" we cansee them only through different representations thepatient expresses or creates and through thetherapists interpretation of them.The discussion of the development and appearance ofvisual or verbal artistic representations is based ontwo perspectives: one from the field of cognitive andneuroscience theories and the second from a morephilosophical approach based on thephenomenological theory in art therapy.

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The claims that underlie my researches are that:1. Representations through art and other images in theart psychotherapy process develop as a result ofinformation processing in the brain.2. The meaning of visual and verbal representationstherapeutic process can be analyzed and understoodthrough the phenomenological approach to artpsychotherapy.

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The interaction between the Neuro-Biological brainprocessing approach and the Phenomenologicalapproach in Art Psychotherapy :This interaction creates a new language of referencefor understanding the art psychotherapeutic processand a new "Neuro-Phenomenological"conceptualization of art psychotherapy, based on anunderstanding of cognitive and emotional processingin the brain and a phenomenological interpretationfor the visual artistic representations that emergeduring therapy.

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

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

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Examples of line, color, shape and composition visualartistic representations by children with cognitiveimpairment and retardation.

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“Feelings”- different artistic visualrepresentations, polymer clay technique-group art therapy intervention (adults)

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STAGES IN ART THERAPY(BETANSKY,1995):Sequence One: Pre Art Play with Art Materials-directexperiencing.Sequence Two :The Process of Art Work -creating aphenomenon.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

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“Aggression and Rage”visual artistic representationwith Plasticine by a 9 yearsold boy (the scissors are partof the boy art work).

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In order to illustrate this new language I have createda "Neuro-Cognitive Processing Model" in artpsychotherapy.This model was developed as a tool for assessment andtreatment of children and adults, in individual andgroup therapy, in treatment of trauma, loss and bereavement, using meansof artistic expression.

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The artistic expression tools are used for twotherapeutic goals which reciprocally affect oneanother:One is used for diagnosis through the ability toexpress (non verbally) a variety of abilities,feelings and difficulties that overwhelm theperson.The second is used as a treatment tool by creatingprocesses resulting in attitude change and byimproving feelings and behaviors through the"indirect agent" of an artistic apparatus.

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The model 1 is based on understanding the brain andits functioning, information processing andconceptualization in art therapy, and is illustratedgraphically 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 APPROACH1 Based on Harpaz,R. (2010)." Miraculous Brain" – The Healing Factor in Therapeutic andGrowth Processes in Art Psycho-Therapy. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation

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ART THERAPY PROCESS Transitional Brain space: visual or information verbal artistic processing representation Transitional space Patient Therapist1 Based on Harpaz,R. (2010)." Miraculous Brain" –The Healing Factor in Therapeutic and Growth Processes in Art Psycho-Therapy. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation

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In summaryThe Therapeutic intervention in Art Therapy1. Cognitive and emotional information processingin the brain itself.2. Projection and extroversion of contents whichinclude difficulties, conflicts and other themes,through internal representations using visual orverbal representations expressed as externalrepresentations.

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3. Reprocessing of external representations, afterundergoing the interaction process with thetherapist, and turning them into new internalrepresentations.4. Creating new connections and representations inthe brain when these are "insights", saving them inthe brain and removing them in a new form that ismore compatible with the new reality.

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Thank youRuth Harpaz Ph.DArt Therapist and PsychotherapistIndividual, Couple and Family Therapy.Snuezlen( Controlled Sensory Stimulation Therapy)Thantalogy (Coping with Grief Death andBereavement Therapy.Trauma Therapy – EMDR and other Therapeuticmethods.Member of the T.D.I (Israeli Trauma Organization)and ESTD (European Trauma and DissociationAssociation).Member of YAHAT (The Israeli Organization ofExpressive and Creative Therapies)Web Site: WWW.HEBPSY .NET/RUTHHARPAZ