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Art As Medicine: Creating a Therapy of the Imagination
A pioneering art therapist extolls the arts as a powerful tool in psychotherapy, describing how activating the imagination can heal the mind, heart, and soul
The medicine of the artist, like that of the shaman, arises from his or her relationship to “familiars”—the themes, methods, and materials that interact with the artist through the creative process.
“Whenever illness is associated with loss of soul,” writes Shaun McNiff, “the arts emerge spontaneously as remedies, soul medicine.”
Art as Medicine demonstrates how the imagination heals and renews itself through this natural process. Author Shaun McNiff describes his pioneering methods of art therapy—including interpretation through performance and storytelling, creative collaboration, and dialoguing with images—and the ways in which they can revitalize both psychotherapy and art itself.
The medicine of the artist, like that of the shaman, arises from his or her relationship to “familiars”—the themes, methods, and materials that interact with the artist through the creative process.
“Whenever illness is associated with loss of soul,” writes Shaun McNiff, “the arts emerge spontaneously as remedies, soul medicine.”
Art as Medicine demonstrates how the imagination heals and renews itself through this natural process. Author Shaun McNiff describes his pioneering methods of art therapy—including interpretation through performance and storytelling, creative collaboration, and dialoguing with images—and the ways in which they can revitalize both psychotherapy and art itself.
248 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 7, 2017
I spent a couple of hours with this book. It is broken into three sections: theory, methodology and examples. With my limited time, I chose to focus on the theory section. Below are my reading notes.
Think of art therapies as contemporary manifestation of the estranged ancient shamanic traditions. Shamanic cultures describe illness as the loss of the soul. Shamans then are “soul catchers”. The goal is to embrace the soul’s debased expressions as expressed in the images of art and dreams. Art therapy can be seen as a similar process to dream therapy, with more active participation in producing the images. The best we can do is to acknowledge and feel our condition, rather than trying to “fix” anything. Our images express the condition of our soul. The archetypes reveal themselves through the processes of imagination and creation. If the soul is expressing itself through art we have to reconsider the notion that everything an artists makes is a self-portrait. Perhaps art as medicine is the activation of the procreative forces of archetypal imagination within our personal lives.
Life imitates art— we become what we imagine. The soul ministers to itself in this capacity. Soul is closer to process - ongoing movement - then it is to fixity. Think of soul as kinesis, process, creation, interplay, continuous motion. The soul is synonymous with the psyche. Loss of soul is a “stuck” condition in which the flow has stopped. Psychology speaks of “fixations” as defense mechanisms against change. Creative blocks usually result from expectations that take us away from our immediate experiences and stop the flow. Art as medicine stays on course as long as you “stick with the image” which is to say stick with your medium— to veer from your medium is to leave the context and presence of your soul. Reluctance to take risks with the medium allows us to avoid the realignments and demands of change.
If you are thinking about the final product you are distancing yourself from the product and avoiding the actual process. The process is soul. To dialog with imagery is to use art as medicine. As the basis of psychotherapy, dialog becomes a spontaneous drama corresponding to the movements of the psyche (soul).
Approach artistic imagery as angels: guides, messengers, guardians, friends, helpers, protectors, familiars, shamans, intermediaries, visitors, agents, emanations, epiphanies and influences. This is the natural extension of dialoging with art. To talk to your images is to talk to these angels. The artist is someone who helps the image express it’s nature. The artist is in there, of course. The feeling, the material and the artist collaborate to make the expression. Interpretation of art becomes an unending process of attunement with the angelic forces coming through the imagery. Paintings and art are messengers from our inner worlds.
The daimon, closely related to soul, is the movement or force of creation and our individual destiny. A divine power that reveals itself through action. Angels, spirits, muses, guardians, guides, companions and familiars. Our essential nature— that which is beneath our personality. The inner sensibility or conscious that directs a person’s life.
If you can think of yourself as a plural being, imagination can increase the scope of who you are. The archetypal couple is referred to as “my soul and I” (Whitman) or “The pair of us” (Socrates). Thinking in pairs evokes the angle and it’s human partner, spirit and matter, hermaphroditic consciousness. Our psychologies erroneously think of these pairs as opposites. Engagement of the imaginal other is a fundamental aspect of art’s medicine.
Think of art therapies as contemporary manifestation of the estranged ancient shamanic traditions. Shamanic cultures describe illness as the loss of the soul. Shamans then are “soul catchers”. The goal is to embrace the soul’s debased expressions as expressed in the images of art and dreams. Art therapy can be seen as a similar process to dream therapy, with more active participation in producing the images. The best we can do is to acknowledge and feel our condition, rather than trying to “fix” anything. Our images express the condition of our soul. The archetypes reveal themselves through the processes of imagination and creation. If the soul is expressing itself through art we have to reconsider the notion that everything an artists makes is a self-portrait. Perhaps art as medicine is the activation of the procreative forces of archetypal imagination within our personal lives.
Life imitates art— we become what we imagine. The soul ministers to itself in this capacity. Soul is closer to process - ongoing movement - then it is to fixity. Think of soul as kinesis, process, creation, interplay, continuous motion. The soul is synonymous with the psyche. Loss of soul is a “stuck” condition in which the flow has stopped. Psychology speaks of “fixations” as defense mechanisms against change. Creative blocks usually result from expectations that take us away from our immediate experiences and stop the flow. Art as medicine stays on course as long as you “stick with the image” which is to say stick with your medium— to veer from your medium is to leave the context and presence of your soul. Reluctance to take risks with the medium allows us to avoid the realignments and demands of change.
If you are thinking about the final product you are distancing yourself from the product and avoiding the actual process. The process is soul. To dialog with imagery is to use art as medicine. As the basis of psychotherapy, dialog becomes a spontaneous drama corresponding to the movements of the psyche (soul).
Approach artistic imagery as angels: guides, messengers, guardians, friends, helpers, protectors, familiars, shamans, intermediaries, visitors, agents, emanations, epiphanies and influences. This is the natural extension of dialoging with art. To talk to your images is to talk to these angels. The artist is someone who helps the image express it’s nature. The artist is in there, of course. The feeling, the material and the artist collaborate to make the expression. Interpretation of art becomes an unending process of attunement with the angelic forces coming through the imagery. Paintings and art are messengers from our inner worlds.
The daimon, closely related to soul, is the movement or force of creation and our individual destiny. A divine power that reveals itself through action. Angels, spirits, muses, guardians, guides, companions and familiars. Our essential nature— that which is beneath our personality. The inner sensibility or conscious that directs a person’s life.
If you can think of yourself as a plural being, imagination can increase the scope of who you are. The archetypal couple is referred to as “my soul and I” (Whitman) or “The pair of us” (Socrates). Thinking in pairs evokes the angle and it’s human partner, spirit and matter, hermaphroditic consciousness. Our psychologies erroneously think of these pairs as opposites. Engagement of the imaginal other is a fundamental aspect of art’s medicine.
November 10, 2008
A nice little theoretical book about the use of art in psychology by a pioneer of Art/Expressive Arts Therapy, Shaun McNiff. Leaves you wishing you could meet him.
October 29, 2018
I read this as I'm awaiting a place at St Paul de Mausole... What is "sanity," anyway, and if VanGogh's opinions make more sense to me than the rubbish I hear from logical "realists" who press me to get a Real Job...Anyway, it's comforting to read that there's a whole realm of people who are practicing a healing freedom of expression. I've had quite enough of struggling with physical ailments because I'm trying to contain myself. Lock me up if I make you uncomfortable, but please promise me paints!
December 30, 2020
The author complains about how inaccessible art therapy is to the "commoner" (his tone is super condescending throughout- even when he's talking about something he likes) but chose to use entirely overly complex, high-sounding language that makes me wonder if some dictionary or thesaurus was paying him by the letter and/or synonym. No thank you.
[Or, in McNiff's language, "This is entirely an item that, upon refection, inner discussion, juxtaposition, and antidisestablishmentarianism, I have come to to the conclusion is: esoteric, bombastic, and self-aggrandizing." *barrrrrf*]
Still: glad I picked it up and read (most) of it. Wouldn't recommend as a starting point if you're interested in learning about art as therapy- there are several better, more user-friendly options out there that don't passive-aggressively crap on everything else around it.
[Or, in McNiff's language, "This is entirely an item that, upon refection, inner discussion, juxtaposition, and antidisestablishmentarianism, I have come to to the conclusion is: esoteric, bombastic, and self-aggrandizing." *barrrrrf*]
Still: glad I picked it up and read (most) of it. Wouldn't recommend as a starting point if you're interested in learning about art as therapy- there are several better, more user-friendly options out there that don't passive-aggressively crap on everything else around it.
January 12, 2022
Shaun McNiff is the go-to guy in the world of art therapy. This is one of his earlier books, with a 1992 publication date. In it, he details his beliefs about art therapy and various ways in which he helps people learn to dialogue with images. If you read Jungian psychology, you’ll be familiar and comfortable with this approach; it’s a form of active imagination. If not, you may find McNiff’s work impenetrable and woo-woo. Still, if you have any interest in art therapy at all, or even in finding ways to go deeper in your own art practice, Art as Medicine provides an excellent introduction.
September 23, 2008
Good but missing something
Currently reading
February 18, 2010on the qmu book list
December 11, 2011
Partial Read.
Read
August 20, 2018Foundational reading for the art therapist!! This dialogue continues to develop Otto Rank's foray into the subject....in wide ranging scope. After reading this book, I wanted to travel to Greece to visit the remains of the Asclepeion!!!
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