The History of Art Therapy
- Liz R
- Jun 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 14
Art has been part of healing rituals for thousands of years, from ancient cave paintings and Egyptian hieroglyphics to Native American sand art, used to make meaning, connect with spirit, and process experience.
Art therapy is a relatively young yet profound profession, born in the aftermath of World War II when pioneers like Margaret Naumburg in the U.S. and Adrian Hill in the U.K. began using art as a therapeutic tool Naumburg, often called the "mother of art therapy," viewed art-making as "symbolic speech," allowing unconscious thoughts to emerge visually rather than verbally.
Carl Jung’s exploration of archetypes and the unconscious laid essential groundwork for image-based healing, emphasising inner worlds and symbolism. In the 1990s and 2000s, Bruce Moon brought existential depth and spiritual resonance to creative arts therapy. He viewed art as the "canvas mirror," a sacred space for the soul to express and reconnect.
🧭 Pioneers of the Soul and Psyche
Margaret Naumburg, often called the mother of modern art therapy, developed “dynamically oriented art therapy” in the 1940s, seeing art as a form of “symbolic speech” rooted in Freudian and Jungian ideas.
Edith Kramer emphasised the healing power of the creative process itself, what she called sublimation, as a psychotherapeutic tool.
Carl Jung introduced archetypes and the collective unconscious, validating the power of images in therapy.
Natalie Rogers, daughter of Carl Rogers, integrated humanistic and person-centred principles into expressive arts therapy, highlighting emotional healing through multi-modal creativity.
Bruce Moon later wove existential and spiritual threads into the field, describing art as a “canvas mirror” reflecting deep truths of the soul.
🧠 Clinically Underpinned, Creatively Delivered
Art therapy blends expressive arts including visual art, drama, movement, music, creative writing and nature-based work within a structured, scientifically informed therapeutic setting. Models like the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) guide therapists to match creative tools to cognitive and emotional needs. Sandra Kagin and Vija Lusebrink’s ETC offers a framework for understanding how different art forms, line, colour, sensory–motor activities, symbolic and cognitive tasks activate specific brain pathways and support therapeutic goals
This multisensory engagement aligns with modern neuroscience, stimulating emotion, sensory and motor regions in the brain, supporting neuroplasticity, self-regulation, and trauma processing. It aligns closely with the Window of Tolerance model and the Polyvagal Theory. Clients are gently supported to stay within that optimal zone of arousal, neither overwhelmed nor shut down, while exploring their inner experience.
🌿 Why It Works
Non-verbal expression offers a voice to emotions before we have the words.
Sensory and creative engagement activates body-based emotional healing.
Combined modalities from open studio and play to nature therapy make healing playful, grounding, and accessible.
Neuroscientific benefits include improved regulation, resilience, and emotional insight as neural pathways are rewired through creative action and mindful reflection.
⚠️ A Balanced View
While the evidence shows strong emotional and relational benefits, studies also note art therapy can feel unhelpful for some individuals, briefly superficial, anxiety‑provoking, or underwhelming if trust is lacking. That’s why skilled, attuned therapists are essential: the therapeutic relationship and pacing make the difference between deep healing and stalled frustration.
💛 Bringing It Into Practice at Wildflower & Willows
Through a trauma-informed, humanistic, and clinically informed approach, I blend image-making, play, movement, and nature-based work into a therapeutic continuum tailored to you or your child’s needs. Our goal? To expand your capacity to self-regulate, deepen resilience, and reconnect with your own strength through the gentle power of creative expression.
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