Q:
How does art therapy help patients? Ways and means?
A:
Art therapy is mainly used as an auxiliary means of therapy to channel, release and vent emotions. The physician or researcher can judge and observe the mental process by the behavior/reaction of the patient or the subject. In the face of psychological barriers, various art forms can be used as a distraction tool to help people out of the closed state.
Music therapy can be divided into two groups, namely, experience and participation. In North America, music therapy focuses more on experiencing music, which can help ease emotions and lift spirits. European music therapy is more inclined to invite patients to participate in music activities and improve patients’ conditions by actively participating in music creation and appreciation activities.
In the case of music therapy, the most intuitive approach is music appreciation, such as relaxing by listening to soothing music or uplifting music to lift the spirits. Many of the techniques and activities of musical training have been applied to specific groups such as children with autism and alzheimer’s disease, to help them with memory training, habit development, and so on.
Q:
Do people who have a background in art therapy, or who have been through multiple treatments, more or less automate some of the solutions, affect the results of the analysis? How to avoid it?
A:
Those with psychological background, especially those with psychological counseling or clinical treatment, are very familiar with psychological knowledge and testing, so they will have certain defensive psychology and hide some psychological problems. But in fact, ordinary people have a certain defensive psychology for these psychological counseling or therapeutic interventions. Generally, doctors are required to help patients relax at the beginning, establish a good doctor-patient relationship, and trust each other to achieve better therapeutic effect. After many times of treatment and consultation, people have generally established a relationship of trust with their doctors. Generally speaking, they will try their best to cooperate with their doctors’ activities, and will be more active in expressing, seeking help, and trying to solve problems.
Q:
How popular do you think it is in China? (More or less) why?
A:
Most Of the Chinese people still have insufficient understanding of psychological counseling and mental illness. They always think that mental illness (derogatory term) is the reason why they go back to the brain hospital, or they always think that they do not have mental illness. In fact, in a high-pressure and fast-developing social environment, people will more or less have some psychological problems, and serious psychological disorders will seriously affect their work and life, including the mood and life state of their family or friends. Some people are good at self-regulation and find ways to relax that suit them. But there are some people, can not do a good self-improvement, so regular psychological counseling is very necessary. Young people in the new era are more accepting, but they have not formed the consciousness of actively seeking help. They still need to strengthen publicity and knowledge related to popular science psychology.
Q:
What needs to be improved? Can it be done online?
A:
There are many ways of art therapy and it is very effective as an auxiliary means of psychological therapy. However, if the patients have serious psychological problems, such as moderate or high depression, they need to seek medical treatment in time, especially if they need drug therapy to really achieve therapeutic effect and control the disease.
During THE period of COVID-19, the online music therapy team of the Central Conservatory of Music provided psychological counseling services for medical and public friends in Wuhan. Mainly through music appreciation, interaction and other activities, to help people improve their mood.