Sometimes individuals with eating disorders have difficulty identifying or describing their thoughts and feelings. Art therapy allows people with eating disorders to express themselves in non-verbal ways, without the perceived pressure of one-on-one therapy. Art therapy can also be an outlet to explore body image and media messages, giving people with eating disorders a new perspective on their distorted self-image.
Art therapists use various materials and activities to appeal to patients’ creative side, including:
Paint
Collage
Sculpting
Colored Markers/Pencils
Pastels
Mask-Making
The artwork patients create becomes a journal of their journey toward eating disorder recovery, which they can look back on and see their progress.
