An Inter-modal Approach to Arts Therapy

At the heart of any client- centred therapeutic approach is the client-therapist relationship  (Wampold & Imel, 2015) . The intersubjective space between client and therapist offers a sense of relationally and attunement  (Wampold & Imel, 2015) . Above the employment of a psychotherapeutic framework (such as CBT, humanistic, etc.) the therapeutic connection, rapport, and empathy developed between therapist and client are what ultimately determine whether or not therapy is successful (Wampold & Imel, 2015). As part of the introspective dialogue on the artwork, an empathic art therapist uses their own creativity to develop an intersubjective relationship with the client (Holmqvist et al., 2019). To prevent confirmation bias, the AT must be conscious of their own cognitive biases and beliefs. When preselecting modalities for a client, the AT must acknowledge the manner their cognitive biases influence their choice (Rolling, 2017). Similarly, bracketing ...

The inter-modal method integrates the body, mind, and emotions in order to heighten sensory and emotional engagement. Jones’ (2021) core processes and Rogers' creative connection provide weight to this view. The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) supports the multimodal character of this method, since the utilisation of diverse media enables the client's total integration (Lusebrink, 2016). The intermodal approach to AT is informed by both the core processes and ETC. Creative connection is a concept created by Rogers (1993) to explain the process by which one type of art inspires and nurtures the evolution of expressiveness in other kinds of art. In her expressive arts therapy technique, Rogers (1993) advocated a comprehensive approach via expressive arts involvement in order to dig into affective dimensions via the integrated arts approach. Rogers (1993) proposed that revelation via an interaction of many types of creative expression offers a holistic narrative of experien...

The philosophical foundations of the inter-modal arts therapy approach are based in phenomenology, awareness of the present moment, and forms of vitality. Art that incorporates the whole person—body, mind, feelings, and essence —  is intermodal, since the process of moving from one art modality to another assist in the increased sensory motor activity - heightening sensory and emotional awareness  (Halprin, 2003) . As each modality is conveyed via the body, an intermodal strategy heightens the embodied phenomenological experience, including implicit or felt sense processes (Halprin, 2003).   According to Rogers (1993), an inner journey is deepened and enriched when many forms of expressive art are used together. This advocates combining different forms of artistic expression in order to incorporate a wider variety of sensory experiences, arguing that paying close attention to one's body allows one to gain greater access to implicit knowledge ...

This centres upon how the strategic integration of several creative forms may enrich one other (Kossak, 2015). The process of producing art using several mediums enlarges the space in which one may exercise their imagination (Kossak, 2015). These art forms may include: visual art forms (i.e painting, sculpture, collaging, print-making etc.), dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, poetry, play therapy, sand-tray therapy and many more. The multimodal art-making process enables the development of connections with the media as they become interconnected; as a result, new complexities and nuances spontaneously emerge (Kossak, 2015). McNiff (2004) describes total expression as a comprehensive approach to healing via ongoing expression using several artistic modalities . The employment of many mediums highlights the interaction connecting body, emotion, and imagination in order to cultivate novel perspectives (McNiff, 2004). This multi-sensory and multi-dimensional therapeutic ...