Ingrid Holborn Art Floral Series 2 Duo

Art as Therapy

Art Therapy fascinatingly merges art and psychotherapy. It is a form of expressive therapy that focuses on using the creative process to promote emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. It is rapidly gaining popularity as a tool for healing and recovery, not only in professional settings but also informally.

One of the reasons Art Therapy enjoys such broad success, is that it allows us to communicate our inner world without the limitation of words. For so many of us, the more traditional talking therapy choices seem intimidating and pressured. In contrast, paints and crayons feel playful. Trauma can be expressed and released with red paint being forcefully splattered on canvas rather than sitting motionless and grappling for words to describe our painful experiences.


Ingrid Holborn Art-Landscape Series 3

Its benefits are not confined to a therapeutic setting though. Many artists themselves report that they reap far reaching benefits to their wellbeing as they produce their art pieces, therefore creating art can be considered inherently therapeutic without the need for a therapist to guide the process.

Art as a recognised means of promoting wellbeing has recently led to an abundance of adult colouring books being produced. These books take us back to our carefree childhood days and bring the healing benefits of art into our every day lives. Such colouring books can be affordably sourced in the pound shops in the UK and dollar stores in the US where crayons are also available. It is wonderful that so many people are nestling adult colouring books on their book shelves and reaching for them when life needs to slow down and the mind needs to be calmed.