Soothing the troubled souls through art therapy

Founder and Art Therapist at The Art Therapy Centre, Dalal Al Sindi is the first art therapist in Bahrain. Her journey as a certified Art Therapist initially started in the stroke unit of the King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, KSA. During this time she worked with youth suffering from a variety of psychological and emotional difficulties. After two years, she moved back to Bahrain where she continued her work as an Art Therapist until the official establishment of the Art Therapy Centre Bahrain in 2012. University of Bahrain (UOB) Student Nawra’a Alhawaj caught up with the therapist for DT News. Excerpts

What made you interested in art therapy? 

I went to study fine arts in the UK, for four years, and after that I felt that I want to do something more with my art. I am an avid reader in sociology, psychology and I loved reading philosophy as well. I researched and I found that there is such a thing as art therapy. I was very interested, and happy with the idea that art and therapy are intertwined officially and used in psychotherapeutic contexts.  

How is art therapy seen in the medical world? 

In the UK and US art therapy is well known and well trusted for patients who have certain mental and emotional disorders. As well as in the Middle East. I was very surprised how accepted it was when I started to work in Saudi Arabia after I graduated for two years. Saudi culture accepted art therapy, which helped me and made me very encouraged to bring it to Bahrain. Because our society also needs it and appreciate arts a lot. So when art and sociology comes together it will always yield good results. 

 Which patients can benefit from art therapy? 

Patients who have difficulty in expression. Art therapy is for people that have certain difficulty in talking about their problems. And also children how have gone through trauma or sexual abuse, bullying in school, behaviour and anger. Art can be a path to give us more information about the children. Because it is difficult for children to express their emotions. As with adults, as we grow older we learn how to take control and suppress our emotions, so it is here where art therapy is most effective. 

Must an art therapist be a gifted artist? 

No, art therapists learn about psychotherapy and art, but there is no such thing as a “gifted artist” in this area. Because art therapists believe that everyone is an artist. But it is important that the therapist keeps practicing his/her art skills, so he/she can understand art more. If the therapists understand his/her own creations he will understand people’s creations much more. 

What is difference between drawing a picture for therapeutic reasons at home and doing it in a therapist’s office? 

Art therapy is a science, based on psychotherapy. And it’s the study of unconscious and things that make us suffer. So if I need a help, I will go to therapist to talk to, same as art therapy. The benefits will be more because of the therapist that will guide the patent throughout his problems. And there will be a goal oriented, so the client under therapist will be working together to solve clients problem, and from the therapist experience perspective they will give them subjects that are directed towards their certain problem.  

What can a person get out of art therapy that they could not get out of traditional psychotherapy? 

The traditional therapy “verbal therapy” puts you more in the spot light, when you come and say “talk to me about your problems” I cannot answer exactly, as humans we have lots of problems in our minds, and sometimes we forget some or most of them. So art in a sense frees you from being in the spot light and makes you engage in an activity that is freeing and personal. Plus the arts give a more symbolic and personal meaning for the client himself, so instead of me judging on what the person says to me, I will ask the person about their drawing and about why certain symbols come up in the drawing. Patient’s drawings are products of their unconsciousness. 

Did you notice a special symbols in a certain medical conditions? 

As human beings our sadness and happiness are similar. But there are some symbols that are formed in society itself, like if I asked anyone here to draw a tree he will draw a palm tree.  So due to our culture there are several identical symbols. But each situation is different, and each person has a different style. And the therapist must be aware of the patient’s style, we go with what they like to reach the goal.  

What is most unusual case you have seen in your work? 

In KSA there was lots of unusual cases, because I was working with people that had physical injuries causing depression, there was young people how lost their ability to walk, to use their hands usefully. So I had to use unusual ways to let them draw, creating certain instruments, like a stand for the wrists. And if they can’t movie their hands we move it for them in response of their directives. That was different way to see art therapy, also being art therapist as a Bahraini woman in KSA treating patient that some of them extremely religiously was very interesting, to be in a session with someone for 6 months without eye contact, it did not affect the art therapy negatively, this was astonishing as eye-contact is one of the most important factors in art therapy. It did not affect our advancement in art therapy. There was a lot of challenges there in KSA. 

Are there any myths about art therapy professionals that you can dispel for us? 

Some people think we can analyze characters and drawings, or we can know what is in the minds of people, but that’s completely wrong, art therapy is just a way to relieve and resolve psychological issues by working with a therapist to face and solve them. And the only one who can know the meaning of the artwork is the artist himself or the client. In art therapy our task is to lead the way, we create a pot for the patient, to put all of his pain in it. This is our goal, is to give the client a space or a door he can open, so he know that he can do something, and overcome the difficulties with visual and verbal communication.