Darja
Milidragovic
Expressive Arts Therapy
How It Works
Traditionally, therapy has been verbal and focused on the left, or rational, side of the brain. However, the rational mind can only attempt to accurately translate our emotional life into words, and often fails. While it can be helpful for some and at the right time, it can also move us away from feelings, sensations and what is really going on inside us. This is where a deeper and more authentic experience and transformation can take place so that we are able to feel more connected to our true self and more empowered to change experience of ourselves and of life.
The right side of the brain is commonly referred to the emotional brain (to simplify). It is also home to our creativity and imagination, the foundations of the Expressive Arts Therapy approach. By engaging with our creativity in a personal way, therapist and client are able to observe the client's creative process, and the feelings, attitudes, impulses and patterns that come up along the way. By exploring and reflecting on these (including where they may come from or how they affect our lives and relationships), the client can learn to acknowledge and understand what arises. That is where healing and transformation begin.
The creative process provides the client with endless opportunities to notice how they engage with the different art modalities and try new and more satisfying ways. The focus is therefore on the process (a treasure chest of information about us), not on the product (what you create).
Expressive arts therapy is also a way to move beyond words, especially when talking isn’t enough, when it’s too hard, or when we don’t have language for our experience and don’t know what the problem really is. Through the arts, we can express our stories and innermost feelings more honestly and safely, and with more room for surprise, play, and even fun. This is especially helpful when working with trauma. .
Oli pastel drawing by Darja Milidragovic
Role of the Therapist
In this approach, therapists create a comfortable, playful and non-judgemental environment for clients to express themselves freely. By offering empathy and compassion for the client, the client begins to do the same for themselves. This allows the client to look at their feelings, thoughts, and behaviours more honestly, to face the truth with compassion, and to explore possibilities for transformation and healing.
The therapist also encourages the client to experiment with different ways of being. As a result, the client connects with their authentic self and creates both their art and life from a place of more joy, vitality and truth, and less from a place of fear.
A non-directive approach by the therapist also requires the client to make their own conclusions about themselves and their problems and to find their own solutions. The most meaningful change comes from within, and it is the therapist's job to facilitate the journey inside, not try to "fix" or pretend to be the expert.