The Power of Art Therapy

Aristotle identified the elements of circumstance through the essential WH questions. Of these, the most important were What and Why.

When we understand what we want and why we want it, we gain the power to create or change our circumstances. In doing so, we become the element within our own lives.

An element is an essential or defining part of something abstract, and it is within this abstract space that art therapy operates so effectively.

In art therapy, the abstract helps reveal who we truly are. Truth lives in the subconscious, and when we learn to access and process it, clarity emerges. That clarity leads us to our why. Simon Sinek explores this idea in Start With Why, explaining how understanding our deeper motivations is what drives meaningful action and leadership.

But to truly start with why, we must begin with ourselves.

Art therapy is a powerful tool for exploration and connection. It allows us to access aspects of the self and psyche that are often unreachable through words alone. By using non-verbal communication and creative processes, art therapy opens a space for free expression. When the mind and hands are fully engaged in creative activity, our state of awareness naturally shifts toward the subconscious, making it easier to communicate what we are truly feeling.

Through this process, people often hear themselves articulate truths they never consciously recognised. As you discuss your artwork with a therapist, hidden thoughts and emotions begin to surface. Once these subconscious insights become conscious, they are no longer overwhelming or mysterious—you can claim them, understand them, and choose how to respond. In that moment, self-awareness turns into empowerment.

Art therapy brings clarity to the why because we see it through creative eyes. While talking with the therapist, we are also feeling, imagining, and remembering. Creativity and imagination are what make art therapy such an effective tool for healing and personal growth. Describing an abstract drawing—explaining how certain lines feel or why specific colours were chosen—can be emotionally demanding, yet deeply revealing. It exposes our biases, patterns, and motivations, helping us understand why we do what we do.

The fluid nature of the process gently guides us deeper into the subconscious, where many truths reside. Art as a tool for free expression, is inherently abstract and flexible. It is not rigid or purely scientific. For some, this makes it difficult to measure or categorise, despite growing evidence of its effectiveness in treating PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Andrea Gilroy has written about how art therapy worldwide is increasingly under pressure to become more evidence-based.

As technology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychology continue to advance, we will undoubtedly see greater integration of digital tools in art therapy. Increased data collection will bring more visibility and credibility to the field. Yet even now, lived experience remains powerful evidence. Images often move us more deeply than words. Long after an art therapy session ends, your artwork continues to speak. Each time you look at it, it nudges you—reminding you of what you discovered and why you created it.

Art therapy supports mental health by helping rewire the brain and form new neural pathways. Each creative practice builds new connections between neurons, and once those connections form, we quite literally do not think the same way again.

Whether life challenges arise through relationships, career transitions, illness, or loss, we need diverse ways of responding, ways that allow for new outcomes rather than repeating old patterns. The artwork you create is you speaking. An art therapist does not interpret your work or impose meaning. Instead, they guide the process through open, inquisitive questions—questions only you can answer.

The therapist focuses on the artwork and asks neutral, reflective questions, without influencing responses or offering opinions. You are the one who makes sense of what you created. You articulate why you drew it, what it represents, and how it connects to your experience. Together, you explore these insights. It is this process that enables new perspectives, responses, and results.

Through experimenting with art therapy myself, I experienced a significant shift in my thinking. For those who haven’t created art since school, simply making art—without a therapist—can be therapeutic in itself. Working with an art therapist, however, takes the process deeper. That is where negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs begin to loosen and transform.

Art therapy, along with practices such as meditation, yoga, and spending time in nature, helps us reconnect with purpose and presence. When we are no longer consumed by the past or anxious about the future, clarity naturally follows.

I encourage you to explore art therapy—on its own or alongside traditional psychotherapy—and discover what your subconscious has been waiting to tell you.

Art therapy can help:

· Children overcome, domestic violence, bullying and low-self esteem

· Children with learning difficulties

· Chronic pain management

· PTSD / childhood trauma / veteran with trauma / general trauma

· Palliative care patients and cancer patients

· Dementia patients

· Find a purpose in life

· Cultivate Self-awareness

· Manage impulsive behaviours

· Release our fears