Isotherapy – psychotherapeutic work using visual art methods – is one of the main and frequently used areas of art therapy, both in passive (using finished works of art) and in its active form – creating your own creations. This direction of psychotherapeutic practice is widely used in work with both adults and children.
Isotherapy methods are practically limitless. The patient can practice any kind of fine art using any methods and means. The only condition is that this process must bring emotional satisfaction and positive effects.
All isotherapy is divided into two main types:
- Passive – it consists in working with already created works of art (sketching, creating small copies, etc.);
- Active – creating something new, your own vision of some things and objects and their reflection in drawing or modeling. This view allows you to throw out the accumulated negative or tragedy that happened in life and reflect it, as a person sees or feels.
By the number of participants, the following are distinguished:
- Individual sessions;
- Paired;
- Group.
For each patient, the type of training is selected individually, depending on his contact or readiness for contact with another person.
Such methods are incredibly effective and help in the most severe cases. After all, a creative trait is present in every person, it is only necessary to correctly reveal it.
Tasks
Here are just some of the objectives of isotherapy:
- help to throw out everything hidden and unconscious;
- express emotions and feelings in a safe way for oneself and those around them – to remove the censorship of “overcontrol”;
- free from aggression, nervousness, psychological tightness, jealousy, phobias, imbalance – to stabilize the mental and emotional state;
- develop communication skills for social adaptation, fill the communication gap;
- raise self-esteem, get rid of complexes;
- promote self-realization;
- help solve family problems;
- unleash creativity, open up new opportunities.
Depending on who is used in the work with isotherapy, its tasks can be slightly adjusted. For example, it helps preschoolers to adapt in the world around them, children with disabilities – to express their emotions, autists – to admit their fears, adults – to stabilize their condition.
With isotherapy, adults and children can cope with problems such as:
- express your emotions and feelings in a way that is safe for yourself and others. Isotherapy is effective in cases where you need to get rid of psychological tightness, aggressiveness, nervousness, imbalance, jealousy, fears, etc.
- low self-esteem. According to statistics, more than 70% of people suffer from low self-esteem and self-doubt. Through practical Isotherapy exercises, anyone can significantly increase their self-esteem and become more confident.
- behavior problems.
- relationship problems and / or family problems.
- chronic stress and psychosomatic diseases.
In addition, isotherapy classes contribute to the disclosure of creative potential and open up new resources and opportunities in a person, helps to cope with addiction.
Isotherapy stages
Iso-therapy sessions include 4 stages:
Introduction and “Warming up”.
Introduction and “warming up”. It involves greeting and preparing participants for work, as well as creating an atmosphere of trust and security. The teacher explains or recalls the basic rules of behavior in the group. Subsequent “warming up” represents different types of physical activity and ways of “tuning” to visual work: general game “on the topic”, mini-conversation.
Stage of visual work.
Presentation and development of the topic, maybe a little discussion. Given the small age of the participants, it is advisable to organize this stage in the form of telling or dramatizing a fairy tale, game or travel. You can invite children to “live” the image in motion (Imagine that smooth, gentle music sounded in you. How will you move?).
Discussion stage.
A discussion is the story or comments of participants about their visual work. They not only describe what is drawn, but usually try to compose a fairy tale about the depicted character. When the pupils tell about their work, others, as a rule, refrain from any comments or ratings, but can ask questions to the author. At this stage of the lesson, the teacher can give his own comments or assessments of the progress of the work, its results, the behavior of individual children, etc. The teacher can also ask questions to the author aimed at clarifying the content of his work, as well as his feelings and thoughts.
- Completion. Completion of the lesson. It involves summing up, strengthening a positive emotional experience.
Isotherapy techniques and effects
Crumpled paper
The drawing paper is wrinkled first, then flattened so that the drawing can be done on it. Any pencils, paints, etc. are used. The shape of the sheet can be changed as desired.
Wet paper
The sheet of paper needs to be wetted and then the paints are applied, allowing them to mix, experimenting with colors. Forms and images obtained as a result of divorces can become recognizable. Then you can give them names, if you want to share your impressions.
Color accents
1.Choose one color. Use it to depict different shapes. Determine for yourself the meaning of this color.
Choose the most and least suitable color for you at the moment. Complete one pattern in each color. Try to combine these colors and associate them with the opposite qualities of your character.
Pick a pair or group of matching colors (in your opinion) and arrange them.
Express your most relevant experiences with a drawing using a suitable palette. Then draw a drawing to neutralize your feelings.
Using shades of one primary color, follow a series of several designs. You can use other colors to create shades.
