Dance Therapy

Dance therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement and supports intellectual, emotional, and motor functions of the body. A variety of dance styles are used in dance therapy depending on the needs of the client. These include: modern dance with its emphasis on the pure elements of movement, traditional dances and authentic movement.

Any moving response to rhythm and music may lead the dance therapist to use the dancer’s techniques to help patients deal with their problems. Patients become aware of their feelings through sensation and movement, integrating body and mind together into the process.

This type of therapy is said to be useful in terms of decreasing stress and forgetting traumas. Dance Therapy practitioner Nino Natroshvili shares her own experience of attending dancing classes.

Singing Therapy

When mothers speak to children, it's often in a singing tone. That's no coincidence, scientists say, given that music and language are intricately linked in the brain. Over the past few decades, there has been growing evidence supporting the potential use of music in medicine. Studies show that music can enhance the emotional and cognitive functioning of patients affected by various neurological conditions.

While singing, the body assumes better posture and oxygen easily reaches the diaphragm. Endorphins, the hormones responsible for human happiness, are released and reduce the stress.

Singing Therapy practitioners from the center “Kamara” issued a CD with their own performance.

Painting Therapy

Painting therapy deals with the relationship between body, soul and spirit. It not only works on the rhythmic patterns, but it also affects how the ego works. Treating a person using art therapy is a tremendous alternative to understand how the brain processes information, incorporates external and internal data, and develops new efficient connections. As a result, a practitioner finds it easier to deal with stress and other mental or physical problems.

Anano Kapanadze started practicing Painting Therapy because of a psychological condition she faced at the age of 21. Anano shares her experience by going through the therapeutic process step-by-step.

Writing Therapy

Writing about one's feelings gradually eases emotional trauma. Writing therapeutically can take place individually or in a group and it can be administered in person with a therapist or remotely through mail or the Internet. During therapy process, assignments may include writing unsent letters to selected individuals, alive or dead, followed by imagined replies from the recipient.

The oldest and most widely used form of self-help through writing is personal journal or diary, in which the writer records their most meaningful thoughts and feelings.

Anano Kapanadze


By using written words, it is possible to communicate verbally with oneself or others and acquire new and more comprehensive understandings of what is being expressed or uncover the significance of one’s personal thoughts. It is believed that by recording and describing the salient issues in one’s life, one can better understand these issues and eventually understand problems that stem from them. Journal therapy has been used effectively for grief and loss; coping with life-threatening or chronic illness; recovery from addictions, eating disorders and trauma; repairing troubled marriages and family relationships; increasing communication skills; developing healthier self-esteem; getting a better perspective on life; and clarifying life goals.

Practicing Writing Therapy became an effective tool in the recovery process for Anano.

Diy Therapy

Although the approach is individual to each practitioner, there are some general criteria to assess a painting, which are then interpreted by the therapist, according to the context based on information supplied by the practitioner.

Here are some simple instructions for analyzing your own painting.

Colors

Line Quality

Page Placement

Sand Therapy

Sand therapy makes it possible to touch the deep, authentic self, restore mental integrity, collect a unique image of the world. Sand therapy is a great way to get rid of negativity and aggression, and become more confident.

The purpose of sand therapy is to identify and describe personality features, learn how to create a subconscious model in the sand and explain it, analyze the ability to communicate and the ability to express thoughts in words, and get rid of fear and psychological trauma.

Psychological center “Stimuli” has been practicing Sand Therapy with people of different ages. Psychotherapist Nutsa Verkhviashvili explains the process of one individual session and emphasizes the ideas of the method itself.

Personal Experience

Sand therapy - it's all about you - your conscious, subconscious. Be ready to speak up (a lot). During session, you don't mention a single actual fact from your life, but you speak about yourself - your personality, wishes, dreams, problems will come out. Most importantly, you'll dig up your attitudes toward them, which is crucial while handling to any issue in life. All these happens by observing/acting (with figures and sand) in your imaginative life in a sandbox along with the questions from professional psychotherapist. This sounds quite bizarre, but it's actually impossible to feel and experience it until the person tries it by herself. In the very beginning without any information and experience, a practitioner cannot imagine how every action she makes in the sand box will deeply be linked to her strings of inner self. Later, in the process she acknowledges, how overwhelmed the process becomes simply by "seeing" herself in a sandbox. Little teeny tiny details those can be crucial and you could not notice things unfold right in front of you. Why all above-mentioned is important? What benefits can be achieved? In this case, the experiment was more like self-exploratory type of session in search of realizing “professional home” and clearing up the attitudes and the ways toward it. It should be mentioned that, the topic is not pre-defined. After choosing the figure and answering several questions of the psychotherapist, a practitioner herself come up with specific topic that excites her. By getting dipper in the issue, practitioner gets closer to it which automatically means getting closer to the aim and making conscious efforts.

Art Therapy

The healing power of art has been emphasized throughout history in every corner of the earth. It has always been a way of communicating the most inner human feelings with the outer world. Ancient Greeks gathered for dramatic enactments including dance, music and storytelling to experience cathartic release and empowerment.

The term Art Therapy was coined in 1942 by the British artist Adrian Hill, who himself as a patient discovered its healing effect. Soon after that he suggested others to practice art as a therapy for everyone.

All individuals have a way to express themselves creatively. Even the simplest painting or the easiest motion can communicate what words cannot. Art therapy modifies the brain’s physiology and structure and leads to a more flexible, adaptable individual.

Studies reveal that production of art creates better interaction between the frontal, posterior and temporal brain regions. This becomes an important prevention tool in treating different illnesses, such as heart disease, influenza, dyslexia and even cancer. Studies have proven that patients practicing art therapy experience fewer sleep disturbances, demonstrate less dependence on painkillers and recover sooner than other patients not practicing art as a therapy.

Different countries have created approaches of their own to develop art as a tool for therapy. Georgia is a country in which Art Therapy found its way to become a part of lives for people with or without any background in Art.

In Georgia, there are more than 10 centers that use art for therapeutic reasons. One of them is “Kamara”, which was founded in 2011 and is widely using the method to help people with different problems find solutions. The therapists of the center state that the visual and material qualities of art media and artwork are unique elements for practicing art therapy. They offer alternatives to other strategies in rehabilitation as they work through visual, sensual and kinesthetic experiences.

In art therapy, client’s preference is very high important.

When artwork is produced, the therapist and a client try to obtain key information by exploring the deeper meanings beyond the visual reproduction. It is often seen as particularly useful in exploring human subconscious mind, or revealing through dreams, goals and aspirations. Art Therapist Salome Panjikidze talks about the advantages of practicing Art as a Therapy:

Art therapy is individually adjusted to every person. There is no common scenario for a session, and the form of art depends on a person. Some people practice drawing; others write or improvise movements and dance.

About Us

Our team of four Journalism students - Tamta Utiashvili, Leyla Mustafayeva, Maka Gogaladze and Ia Shalamberidze decided to make an informational project on Art Therapy.

The design of the project is made of hand drawn material, which we created ourselves. As the symbol of the project, we chose Mandala - representation of a lifecycle in oriental cultures. In art therapy, Mandala means reflecting your inner self at the time of creating it. Thus, our design meaningfully represents the journey we had taken while working on Art Therapy project.

curators: Nono Lomadze, Elene Asatiani

developers: Tamuna Kapanadze, Shota Ioramashvili

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