Holistic Wellbeing Through Art Therapy

We have all heard the word “holistic” by now, in various contexts of mainstream and alternative physical and mental healthcare. We definitely want it, but what is it, really, and how can art therapy give it to us?

According to professors Kristofferson and Clarke, the definition is evolving. They say the term “now encompasses a vast healthcare ecosystem, comprising professionals with distinct functions, roles, and responsibilities.”

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The term was first introduced by philosopher Jan Smuts in 1926. He called it “the ultimate principle of the universe” in his book Holism and Evolution. On the most simplistic level, he is reminding us that wholes are more than the sum of their parts. More specifically, “All wholes are self-creative striving towards greater complexity.” and that “The further the evolutionary development of a whole has reached the greater the capacity for independence”(Jörgenfelt, Partington). When applied to people and health, EURACT (a prominent medical education authority) says a holistic approach “deals with health problems in their physical, psychological, social, cultural, and existential dimensions” (Freeman).

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