Art as therapy

Using art as a healing medium dates back to ancient times: most ancient cultures, in particular, used the seemingly magical power of music to affect health and behaviour. Nowadays, art therapy is a recognised profession, employed in many clinical and other settings and training courses are run by colleges and universities: a second level degree program of "Theory and Practice of Art Therapy", for instance, is offered by the Brera Fine Arts Academy of Milan, one of the most important art education institutions in Italy. Numerous doctors and nurses witnesses the effect art-based interventions have in reducing adverse physiological and psychological outcomes, but at a time when there is growing pressure to show evidence of good practice there is a legitimate quest for sound research supporting its use in clinical practice. Focus of this presentation will be a review of the relevant literature and the presentation of the state of the debate between the community of art-therapists and the sceptical world outside the discipline.