Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.24869/psihei.2026.3
ART AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
Tanja Frančišković
; Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Art and psychotherapy are interconnected in multiple ways. Numerous psychotherapeutic theoretical frameworks have sought to enhance the understanding of the artistic act. Psychoanalytic theory posits that artistic creation is fundamentally linked to the artist’s earliest life experiences, which, within the artwork, are manifested through symbolic representations—whether individual or collective. Psychoanalysts have often found support for their hypotheses through the analysis of artistic works. Over the past seven decades, art has increasingly been employed for therapeutic purposes, serving as a medium that facilitates emotional processing and fosters self-understanding. The use of artistic modalities in creative expression constitutes the foundation of creative psychotherapeutic methods, such as art therapy, bibliotherapy, dance/movement therapy, and music therapy, all of which are now widely recognized and integrated within therapeutic programs. Finally, it is important to emphasize that the psychotherapeutic process itself may be understood as a unique creative act, sharing numerous points of convergence with the artistic process.
Keywords
psychotherapy; art; psychoanalysis
Hrčak ID:
348202
URI
Publication date:
11.6.2026.
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