Expressive and Creative Arts Therapies

Bella, Kim A.; Serlin, Ilene

doi:10.1002/9781118591277.ch29

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 22 publications

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“…Symbolization is also a core therapeutic change factor in CATs (de Witte et al, 2021) in that the arts endow symbolic form to a broad range of human feelings (Langer, 1953). Symbolic and metaphoric expressions deliver succinct implicit messages about the patient's inner experiences and sensations by conveying the maximum meaning of rich inner experiences through a minimum of words or non-verbally and often help bring the subconscious to conscious awareness (Bella & Serlin, 2013;Imus, 2021). Incorporating the creation of metaphors and symbols involves embodied cognitive and emotional processes that support transformative (verbal and non-verbal) expression and narration of experiences that are otherwise difficult to access (Malchiodi, 2020).…”

Section: Therapeutic Factors Of Multidimensional Aesthetic Processes ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurodynamics of Relational Aesthetic Engagement in Creative Arts Therapies

Vaisvaser,

King,

Orkibi

et al. 2024

Review of General Psychology

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Aesthetic experiences, emerging saliently in the arts, play a pivotal role in transformative learning and creative processes that elicit physiological, affective, and cognitive responses associated with mental health indices. Interactions between subjects and aesthetic objects (e.g., visual artwork, music, and moving bodies) often entail elements of surprise and uncertainty that drive the inference of the hidden causes in the subject’s internal and external environment. These generate dynamics that align with the action-oriented Predictive Processing framework of brain function. Creative Arts Therapies (CATs) harness these dynamics by cultivating relational engagement using the arts modalities, prompting affective and cognitive processing. In this manuscript, we offer a review and conceptual analysis of recent empirical findings and theoretical premises that underpin aesthetic experiences and their relation to the psychotherapeutic use of the arts with a broad spectrum of populations and mental health conditions. We present a neuroscience-based approach to aesthetic intra- and inter-personal experiences, integrating therapeutic change factors of externalization-concretization, embodiment, and symbolization with functional network configurations, and interpersonal brain-to-brain coupling, to support predictive processing, learning, and creativity. Present and future interdisciplinary collaborations are underlined to elucidate the neurodynamic mechanisms driving psychological transformations, bridging neuroaesthetics and CATs.

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