ERIC Number: EJ682596
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Sep
Pages: 11
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0742-1656
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Available Date: N/A
Art Therapy and the Brain: An Attempt to Understand the Underlying Processes of Art Expression in Therapy
Lusebrink, Vija B.
Art Therapy Journal of the American Art Therapy Assoc, v21 n3 p125-135 Sept 2004
The application of new techniques in brain imaging has expanded the understanding of the different functions and structures of the brain involved in information processing. This paper presents the main areas and functions activated in emotional states, the formation of memories, and the processing of motor, visual, and somatosensory information. The relationship between the processes of art expressions and brain functions is approached from the viewpoint of the different levels of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (Lusebrink, 1990, 1991) with examples from art therapy interventions. The basic level of interventions with art media is through sensory stimulation. Visual feature recognition and spatial placement are processed by the ventral and dorsal branches of the visual information processing system. Mood-state drawings echo the differences in the activation of different brain areas in emotional states. The cognitive and symbolic aspects of memories can be explored through the activation of their sensory components.
Descriptors: Art Therapy, Memory, Cognitive Processes, Neuropsychology, Emotional Response, Art Expression, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Vision, Multisensory Learning, Sensory Experience
American Art Therapy Association, Inc., 1202 Allanson Road, Mundelein, Illinois 60060-3808. Tel: 888-290-0878 (Toll Free); Fax: 847-566-4580; e-mail: info@arttherapy.org.
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Journal Articles
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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