Saudis seek to color away trauma through art therapy

JEDDAH: People are increasingly turning to art as a way to work through trauma.
Art therapist Noorah Kareem, 31, spoke to Arab News not only about the importance of art therapy but on the interesting and unexpected ways it operates on a person’s thought process.
“Sometimes, ordinary therapy can either overwhelm a person or make them feel as though not much has changed. Art therapy, on the other hand, allows them to take the back door, so to speak, by allowing the conscious brain to rest and by tapping into the subconscious,” Kareem explained.
Farah Abdulhadi, 28, who is Kareem’s client, confirmed this process by defining her own experience with therapy. As a writer, she said that she had little knowledge about art prior to taking therapy. She was overcome by many personal issues and was also contending with writer’s block.
“I have been writing ever since I was 8 years old, but at some point, I couldn’t write anymore,” Abdulhadi said.
“After just one session with my therapist, though, I felt the same joy that I would normally get from writing. She used the right words, reminding me of things that I had forgotten about.”
Kareem explained that art therapy works in much the same way as typical therapy. Instead of words, however, the language of pictures is used.
Studies show that people store events in their minds as pictures and attach emotions and names to them.
“When something happens, it can be completely different from someone’s perspective even though the picture is the same,” she said.
“The fastest way to get to trauma is by getting to the picture and seeing what we have associated with it.”
Recalling her one session, Abdulhadi said that it was more helpful to her than her life coaching sessions.
“Even though the coach was a great listener and a great adviser, I think this helped more because it’s a new form of expression, and to be taken on that journey is amazing,” she said. “She simply gave me a piece of paper and asked me to draw certain things and to assign colors to feeling. While I was doing this, I started to talk and even cry.”
Alaa Al-Hajji, another art therapist, was a passionate artist with a love for science. Back in college, Al-Hajji was thrilled to know that there existed a form of therapy that “married the two fields together.”
“The process of therapy is very regulated. The therapist will not give their client any art material until they understand who their client is, as the material provided can often be triggering. It wouldn’t be healthy to hand over the material directly without assessing the client first,” she told Arab News. “When I give my client an art exercise, it is so they can explore their issues and trauma in a safe way.”
Al-Hajji said that art therapy is not very well-known in Saudi Arabia. There are not many clinics who offer this type of therapy, and many people are often confused about her major. She acknowledged, however, that Saudis are familiar with the idea of healing through art.
“People here enjoy art, and this form of therapy can help with the stigma surrounding therapy. I initially tell my clients that this isn’t therapy but rather art. Then, when they are comfortable, we can start the process of healing.”
The therapists both agreed that people have generally responded positively toward this form of therapy. Al-Hajji said that the one common response she often gets is, “I am not a child, why are you giving me a paper to draw on?”
Other than that, she said, “the idea is very welcome.”