Below are excerpts from some feature articles on the subject of Art and Color Therapy along with a short list of recommended websites loaded with great information for you to take your study further.  If you would like to Submit a Link or inform me of any Broken Links just send an email to Michelle@30minutemandalas.com.

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 ART & COLOR THERAPY ARTICLES

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The Meaning of Color 

Feeling blue. Seeing red. A silver lining. All of these phrases came about because of the meanings that can be attributed to colors. Maybe you’ve always wondered why certain colors appeal to you or often find their way into your artwork. As someone that creates mandalas for both art as well as therapy, I have found that taking the time to analyze my color choices has provided me with great insight on where I stand both mentally and spiritually.  The following is a quick reference guide you can use to gather more awareness from your own artwork or mandala designs: ...continue

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Art Therapy for High Functioning Autism

People who have high functioning autism can be taught at an early age to express themselves through different forms of therapy. In order to lead relatively normal lives, a high functioning autistic requires a certain level of social skills. The development of these skills can be accomplished through a number of therapies including play therapy, social skilled classes or groups, psychotherapy, social stories and expressive therapies. One expressive therapy that has proven to be quite beneficial is art therapy.  Art therapy can help an autistic develop social response by allowing them to express their emotions through art. ... continue

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Using Art Therapy for Amazing Stress Relief

One of the more fascinating measures taken for stress relief can be had with an art therapy. With so many different forms of therapy today it's tough to know which are the most effective for which condition, but art therapy enjoys great success in helping people suffering from a collection of conditions that are both physical and mental. If you are looking for an exciting method for relieving stress, art therapy is a good option.

An art therapy session will help you show others how art can lead to self awareness and understanding, as well as how soothing it can be to engage in the creative process. Taking the time to focus on a piece of art alone can make a tremendous difference in how we live and think and can reduce stress amazingly. ...continue

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Creative Arts Therapies

Art and music therapies have been established now for about 20 years. Because they work on the nonverbal level, they can often help people whose traumas and emotional problems are buried too deep for words, or children who may not have the words to describe their distress. These therapies can be used for people with severe mental problems (although art therapy is not recommended for schizophrenia) but can also help those who find it difficult to express their emotions.

Drawing, painting, craft work, making models - all sllch activities may give form to otherwise inexpressible inner feelings and so access truths that have previously gone unrecognized. The goal in therapy is not necessarily to produce skillful finished works, but to follow spontaneous impulses in the use of (for example) line, color, form, and texture. All too often a person's spontaneity has been repressed, and reconnecting with that immediacy and energy of itself provides release. The works created can be interpreted individually or as a series. ...continue

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Art Therapy: Drawing Out the Best Among Children

Creating art is one way to combat mental illness and many people have actually found it to work for them. Over the last few years, the practice of art therapy has grown so much that it is now even used as a therapy for cancer patients. More and more doctors are now seeing the benefits of using art therapy as a way to administer alternative treatments for depression.

It was generally thought that children could not become depressed. Now, researchers recognize that children, like everyone else, are not immune to this emotionally-drained condition. Because children often do not have the capacity to step back, look at themselves, and recognize that the way they're feeling isn't normal for them --- they are not able to communicate their feelings accurately enough for adults to realize that they are depressed. ...continue

  

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Treating Anxiety Creatively

We are all creative beings. Man's creative mind made him reach the moon or the peak of the highest mountain in the world, or travel the world and to reach outer space. Our creativity brought out inventions that have improved the quality of human life --- all of which are the end result of man's creativity. Suffice it to say, creativity produces works of art, which is such a large part of our everyday lives. We can see them in almost every corner, every space, and wall around us. It has been used as a visual means of communication and expression dating back to prehistoric times. Art speaks of originality, individuality, a creative process, graphic materials, colors, textures, spontaneity, risk, alternatives, and imagination. But art is not only for the creative minds or the famous painters. Art is also a healthy way to express the way we feel and deal with our emotions. Art has been of central importance to the healing practices of many cultures over much of human history, and as time went on, through observations and research, an art-based therapy method has been developed and called Art Therapy. ...continue
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 RECOMMENDED ART THERAPY LINKS

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