Painting, writing, and dancing are not only mediums of art, but also channels through which our innermost self can speak. By the beginning of the 19th century, Carl Jung discovered that creative expression can uncover the unconscious activities of the mind. Based on his personal experience and years of clinical practice, Jung developed a method that fuses artistic expression and therapy, inspiring the development of the numerous schools of creative art therapy we know today.
What Is Creative Art Therapy?
Creative art therapy use one or a combination of creative art mediums as therapeutic tools. Examples include, but are not limited to, art therapy, dance movement therapy, music therapy, writing or poetry therapy, and psychodrama. Creative art therapy work on the assumption that the creative expression of one’s untethered imagination can produce healing benefits. Although they are typically non-verbal, creative art therapy are often used in conjunction with traditional forms of verbal therapy (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)) to help patients understand, process, and integrate the benefits of their creative expressions.
Non-verbal creative expression is a powerful tool for accessing the unconscious without the conscious resistance and censorship of our habitual thinking patterns. Further, they are the best medium to help individuals with speech impairment or difficulties in verbal expression. Today, creative art therapy are considered effective in treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction.
How Did Jung Use Art As A Therapeutic Tool?
Jung used art as a therapeutic tool through his method of active imagination. In 1913, Jung realized that if he allowed his imagination to play freely and spontaneously, he could access the contents of his unconscious and resolve them. According to his findings, any creative expression involving the spontaneous play of imagination can serve as a medium for psychological integration and healing. In his Red Book, Jung painted numerous illustrations of his vivid fantasies during that period. Given his first-hand experience with its therapeutic benefits, he decided to incorporate the play of imagination into his clinical practice, developing what later came to be known as the method of ‘active imagination’.
Active imagination is a method that allows the unconscious to emerge through spontaneous and uncensored imagination. While the imaginative activity can be a mental process, such as when we picture images in our mind, it can also be expressed via a plethora of creative mediums where the unconscious entirely takes charge of the creative process and the conscious mind remains a passive observer. As a result, “a product is created which is influenced by both conscious and unconscious, embodying the striving of the unconscious for the light and the striving of the conscious for substance” (Jung, 1916).
In his early works on active imagination, Jung often described it synonymously with individuation, which is the psyche’s inherent healing mechanism. Undoubtedly, he revered the healing function of imagination as one among the most effective therapeutic tools at his disposal. Given the countless creative mediums available, we can understand active imagination as “a single method expressed through many forms” (Chorodow, 1997).
Is Carl Jung The Father of Creative Art Therapy?
Carl Jung can be considered the father of creative art therapy. While the formalization of creative art therapy happened around the mid-20th century through the works of other psychologists, Carl Jung is credited for laying the practical groundwork and theoretical foundations for the use of creative expression in a therapeutic context. As Joan Chodorow explained, “All the creative art psychotherapies (art, dance, music, drama, poetry) as well as Sandplay can trace their roots to Jung’s early contribution” (Chorodow, 1997). Most notably, Margaret Namburg, dubbed the ‘Mother of Art Therapy’, was deeply influenced by Jung’s theory of active imagination and used art as a psychoanalytical tool with her patients in what she called ‘dynamic symbolism’.
Her contributions helped art therapy become a formalized practice and field of study in the United States. Additionally, Jung was the first to explore the somatic expressions of the unconscious in dance and bodily movements, paving the way for the formalization of Dance Movement Therapy in the 1960s. Whatever the expressive medium may be, one is sure to find Jungian influences in the history of its inception as a therapeutic tool. The debt we owe to Jung’s contributions to creative art therapy is incalculable.
