C H A P T E R 5
humanistic philosophy—transpersonal. All these approaches share a respect for the client’s subjective experiences as expressed through art and each trusts the individual to make positive and constructive choices. All emphasize concepts such as personal freedom, choice, values, responsibility, autonomy, and meaning. Each proposes that the individual and the therapist work together to explore imagery and creativity and supports the uniqueness of each individual’s attending to each moment in order to fully understand oneself.
EXISTENTIAL APPROACH
The idea of existentialism began as a philosophy and then was later adopted by the fields of psychology and psychiatry. Frankl (1963), a noted figure in existential the-ory, embraced the concepts of personal freedom, meaning, and the search for values.
A core belief in his work is the “will to meaning”; Frankl felt that therapy should be aimed at challenging individuals to find meaning and purpose in life. Bugental (1987) later echoed this idea, noting that the central concern of therapy is to help the indi-vidual examine how he or she has answered life’s existential questions and to begin to live authentically.
Rollo May (1961) is a key figure bringing existential theory into the practice of therapy and is important to the development of an existential approach to art ther-apy because of his ideas on creativity (May, 1976). May (1976) saw creativity as a struggle against disintegration and as a means to bring into existence “new kinds of being” (p. 22). Although he did not propose the use of art in existential therapy, he supports the idea that it takes “courage to create” and the creative process is an ex-pression of the self and the dilemmas of human existence. Clark Moustakas (1959) and May (1976) believed that creativity is central to mental health and used the concept of creativity in existential therapy.
The conceptual framework developed by Frankl, Bugental, May and others be-came the basis for an existential approach to art therapy. Art therapist Bruce Moon (1995) proposed a theory for the application of existential principles to art therapy, based on art expression as a personal search for meaning and creativity as an impor-tant component of health. An existential approach to art therapy can best be scribed as a philosophy that influences how a therapist practices, rather than a de-fined model with specific techniques. A therapist applying this theory to clinical work is guided by existential ideas and themes that individuals universally experi-ence, such as love, joy, suffering, and the quest for personal meaning.
Because existential values grew out of an intense consciousness of the tragic and noble in human potential, an existential approach emphasizes liberating the individ-ual from fears and anxieties and helping the person to live life to the fullest. Creative work is believed to be part of this and offers the experiences of free choice and the opportunity to make sense of what often seems senseless or meaningless. The process of art making within the therapeutic relationship serves as a metaphor for the exis-tential dilemmas and art making may lead a person toward a state of mindfulness (B.
Moon, 1995).
Humanistic Approaches 59
Taking an existential approach to art therapy includes addressing the following through the process of art making and therapeutic exchange: (1) the capacity for self-awareness; (2) freedom and responsibility; (3) creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others; (4) the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals; (5) anxiety as a condition of living; and (6) awareness of death and non-being (adapted from Corey, 1996). The practitioner adopting an existential approach strives to understand deep human experience and to help the individual make sense of existence. Questions such as “Who am I?”, “Who have I been?”, and “Where am I going?” are the focus of an existential model.
As with other humanistic approaches, existential art therapy is considered to be a shared journey and the person finds meaning for images that result from this en-counter. Interpretation is only relevant in as much as the individual interprets artistic expression and the creative process. The therapist models authentic behavior—not only in the verbal exchange but also through artistic expression. For example, selec-tively disclosing thoughts and personal experiences as well as sharing one’s own ar-tistic expression may become the basis for the therapeutic relationship and for existential themes to be explored.
Art therapist Bruce Moon shares the following case example of an existential ap-proach (adapted from B. Moon, 1995, p. 90):
In the studio I watched Rob put the finishing touches on a painting of heavy chains and a huge key lock, on a black background. Rob said, “That’s the way it is. The older I get, the more chains are wrapped around me.” Rob sees no possibility that he is free to chose his path. He sees no possibility that he is responsible for his life. Needless to say, he is not free from the circumstances of his existence, either cultural, sociological or psychological.
The therapeutic task with Rob is one of empowerment. As we journey together in therapy, I pay close attention to his self-destructive self-limiting. I celebrate those mo-ments when he owns his choices. Watching him paint, being with him as he struggles with beginning, offers a marvelous opportunity to explore with him his attitude toward the limits of his life in metaphor:
BRUCE: You choose black as your background.
ROB: Yes; it’s rather dismal, isn’t it?
B: It looks dark and heavy.
R: I guess it has to be that way.
B: But you could have painted it red or blue or yellow.
R: No, it had to be black.
B: (pointing to the paint cabinet) I see a jar of pink, even.
R: What are you trying to say?
B: Only that you choose black.
R: It has to be.
B: No, we have other colors.
R: What’s your point?
B: That you choose.
R: All right, damn it, I choose.
60 CLINICAL APPROACHES TO ART THERAPY
Moon’s therapeutic goal is an existential one: By using the art process as a meta-phor for choice and free will, Rob has the opportunity to own his choice and thus has the possibility to make other choices. Moon underscores Rob’s dilemma of being a victim by responding with ideas that he is free to choose and that he holds the ulti-mate power to choose. The art process serves as stage for therapist–client dialogue about existential issues of freedom to choose, will to meaning, and the search for purpose, values, and goals.
PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH
The goal of person-centered therapy is to assist people in becoming more autono-mous, spontaneous, and confident (Rogers, 1951, 1969). People find the resources within themselves to solve problems and heal and recover. The therapist provides a growth-promoting atmosphere in which the individual can reach full potential and trusts the person has an internal capacity to become well.
A person-centered approach to art therapy, like the existential approach, focuses on the individual’s ability to find personal meaning. The process involved is not so much a process of reparation but of becoming (Rogers, 1969). An important aspect of this approach is the belief that people are capable of expressing rather than re-pressing their own maladjustments and moving toward a more healthful way of life.
The client–therapist relationship capitalizes on creative art expression as a means of harnessing personal resources to change and grow.
Play therapy, which often involves some form of creative art expression, has clearly embraced the person-centered approach because of its versatility and its nondirective stance. Person-centered approaches in experiential work with children have been richly described in the work of Axline (1964) and Landreth and Sweeney (1999). Child-centered play therapy facilitates a process in which the therapist trusts the inner person to make the “journey of self-exploration and self-discovery”
through creative expression (Landreth & Sweeney, 1999, p. 39) and uses Rogers’s principles of self-realization and self-actualization.
A person-centered approach to art therapy, viewed through the lens of the phi-losophy of Carl Rogers, underscores two principles in particular: