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The
field of art therapy is discovering that artistic expression can be a powerful
means of personal transformation and emotional and spiritual healing. In this
book, Shaun McNiff, a leader in expressive arts therapy for more than three
decades, reflects on a wide spectrum of activities aimed at reviving art's
traditional healing function. In chapters ranging from "Liberating Creativity" and "The Practice of Creativity in the Workplace"
to "From Shamanism to Art Therapy," he
illuminates some of the most progressive views in the rapidly expanding field
of art therapy:
From
Chapter 2
Imperfect
Environments
Often
the places where we work generate very unattractive auras and disturbing
environmental forces. I have constructed many hundreds of nomadic studios
throughout my years of practice. I feel like a Bedouin traveler who keeps
putting up and taking down his tent. In my travels I don't think I have ever
worked in an ideal studio. There is always something that could be better
organized in the space. I have contemplated constructing an ideal place, but
maybe I should not. The perfect studio could establish an unrealizable standard
for others. It may be better for me to keep working with whatever materials I
find in the different places I visit. In this way I demonstrate to others how
the studio can be set up anywhere.
Groups
repeatedly teach me how to maintain a spiritual presence amidst the din of a
work area. If the keeper of the process relaxes, this helps everyone else do
the same. The reverse is also painfully true. Everything depends upon our
concentration and faith in the process.
Although
I prefer to work in the best space possible, I have repeatedly discovered that
the vitality of a studio has more to do with the creative presence generated
than the physical features of rooms. I do not mean to discourage architects and
interior designers from becoming involved in the art and healing movement, and
especially the important work of "universal design" striving to
create environments and technologies of communication that accommodate all
people irrespective of their physical abilities. We want to have the best
spaces possible, yet we must also work with whatever we have, especially when
bringing the arts to places with limited financial resources.
Distractions
and imperfections may even perversely feed the creative spirit because they are
not unlike our often-disheveled lives. There may be a wondrous medicine
released when a group fills an unattractive space with imaginative expressions.
When we creatively transform unappealing places, the change of attitude has a
corresponding effect on how we perceive ourselves and the world.
Preface
ix
Acknowledgements
xv
Part
One
INTRODUCTION
1
1
Liberating Creativity 3
Part
Two
ART
IS SOUL'S MEDICINE 9
2
The Creative Space 15
3
Letting Go in a Safe Place 28
4
Embracing Upheaval 31
5
The Early Work, 1970–1974: Anthony, Bernice, and Christopher 34
6
The Art Therapist as Artist 52
7
Aesthetic Meditation 55
Part
Three
OPENING
TO IMAGES AND MEDIA 69
8
The Interpretation of Imagery 75
9
Treating Images as Persons and Dialoguing with Them 82
10
The Challenge of Disturbing Images 96
11
Images as Angels 100
12
Angels of the Wound 112
13
Artistic Auras and Their Medicines 121
14
The Effects of Different Kinds of Art Experiences 137
Part
Four
TOTAL
EXPRESSION 147
15
Pandora's Gifts: Using All of the Arts in Healing 151
16
A Pantheon of Creative Art Therapies 163
17
Working With Everything We Have 168
18
A Review of
Jung
on Active Imagination
by Joan Chodorow 171
Part
Five
CONNECTIONS
TO SHAMANISM 181
19
From Shamanism to Art Therapy 183
20
The Shaman as Archetypal Figure 194
21
The Shaman Within 200
Part
Six
REFLECTIONS
ON THE SOURCE 209
22
The Basis of Energy 211
23
The Healing Powers of Imagination 221
24
Surrender to the Rhythm 230
Part
Seven
USING
NEW MEDIA TO EXPAND CREATIVE EXPRESSION 239
25
Video Enactment in the Expressive Therapies 243
26
A Virtual Studio 255
Part
Eight
ART
HEALING IS FOR EVERYONE 263
27
Art Therapy Is a Big Idea 267
28
An Inclusive Vision of Art Therapy: A Spectrum of Partnerships 271
29
The Way of Empathy: The Practice of Creativity in the Workplace 283
30
The Test of Time 290
Sources
and Credits
295
Selected
Publications by Shaun McNiff
299
Index
307
The creative process, inherent in every one of us, has the potential to do so much more than produce visually stimulating paintings, beautiful music, exciting film, or any of the other expressive products lumped into the category of art. The creative process itself calls upon the innermost human emotions and draws from the infinite well of natural and spiritual healing capabilities. With Art Heals: How Creativity Cures the Soul, Shaun McNiff, a pioneer in the profession and research of art therapy, has combined several decades' worth of essays and contemplations regarding his experiences in the clinical world of art therapy.
Art Heals is not for the layperson, and this is immensely disappointing. Although at times McNiff appears headed toward non-professional explanations of the powerful impact of art's healing aspects, he too often drifts back to speaking directly to those involved in professional art therapy, citing clinical examples of patient recovery and explaining in great detail the aspects of establishing a safe studio conducive to therapeutic discovery. McNiff could have done so much more had he spoken directly to artists and non-artists alike regarding art's capabilities of healing not only one's self but also others.
Intriguing are McNiff's comparisons of art and the creative process to topics of new age and mystical interest. Although he clearly distinguishes his comparisons as metaphors only, it is hard to ignore such direct notations as "images as angels," "aesthetic meditation," "artistic auras," and "connections to shamanism," all topics of deep interest to McNiff woven throughout the essays and consistent across the decades of his work. In shamanic culture, it was thought that dis-ease was brought about by the loss of the soul from the body. It was the responsibility of the shaman to journey through consciousness to return the soul to the suffering individual. McNiff sees himself and other art therapists as performing similar tasks and has even instructed those interested in art therapy in terms of shamanistic rituals.
Throughout Art Heals, McNiff discusses the importance of the creative process most beneficially manifesting its healing powers when performed in a group setting. Inclusive in his techniques are as many art mediums as he can consider, from painting and sculpture to video and drumming. McNiff cites the rhythmic elements of drumming as critical to helping his clients remain focused on the creative process.
One strong criticism of this work is the reproduction of now outdated essays, especially those discussing the use of videotaping during art therapy. It would have been well worth McNiff's while to re-write or re-conceptualize these ideas in new essays mentioning more of what modern technology has to offer. His most recent article regarding technology was written in 1999 and cites Photoshop as a revolutionary medium for art therapists.
The last ten pages of the book could serve as an excellent introduction to a more worthwhile book as McNiff discusses the impact of art healing on individuals outside of the clinical environment.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SusanDayH
Posted September 12, 2009
I Also Recommend:
If you are in the field of counseling and want to try and alternative way to reach your clients/students and don't want to follow the classic art therapy route, but instinctively know the arts can be and is an instrumental tool for opening the door to communication, then this is a book for you. I have always felt that The Arts in all of its forms can be used to aid in healing by releasing trapped emotions out of the head and onto paper. I feel this way with writing, music and any other art form as well. I love how Shaun McNiff reminds us not to critically interpret and look for traditional symbolism, but to rather sit back and observe the work, reflect on it, and engage in a dialogue about it. It opens the door. It is wonderful to hear how art is medicine when a patient who has not spoken, verbalizes for the first time after drawing and painting with Mr. McNiff...again, the art expression formed a release and opened a door to healing. It's truly wonderful. I'd love an opportunity to learn more from Mr. McNiff and plan to order more of his books.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
The
field of art therapy is discovering that artistic expression can be a powerful
means of personal transformation and emotional and spiritual healing. In this
book, Shaun McNiff, a leader in expressive arts therapy for more than three
decades, reflects on a wide ...