Art therapy & memory loss

I finally finished my dissertation proposal, and I'm quite excited about it!


When I leave university I would like to train as an art therapist. I like the thought of helping people express themselves and problem solve through making art. I have an understanding of the therapeutic nature of drawing and making. It has always calmed me down and been a good release of emotional stress for me. I would like to see how this method is used to target specific problems and illnesses which would typically be solved through medication and other forms of therapy. Can making art really help with diagnosed psychological problems?

I did some research into this form of therapy and found it had many uses. Art therapy’s role in helping with dementia patients and people with memory loss was instantly appealing to me. My grandmother has developed problems with her memory over the past few years and as it has gotten worse I have seen the impact it has on the person themselves and the people closest to them. Although there are different kinds and levels of memory loss the immediate problem seems to be forgetting everyday things and needing help with tasks that were not considered a problem at all before. Psychologically I would think that this would be extremely difficult for someone to come to terms with, especially when the person was perfectly independent before. Medication may therefore be a difficult method of help. People with memory loss may often forget to take their medication or feel they do not need or want to take it. Perhaps therapy is a gentler, more acceptable method of intervention.

I feel it would be beneficial to thoroughly research illnesses which cause memory loss. I am aware that this is a huge area to cover, but I think a summary of the causes, physical symptoms and emotional effects of memory loss is essential to understand why methods such as therapy are needed. I feel a general study of treatment is also required, what has worked in the past and how many different methods of treatment are available today. Although I have my own experience of the effects of memory loss I do not know much about different types. I would like to understand what dementia is, for instance, and why this is different to what my grandmother is experiencing.

I will then research art therapy itself, its uses and why it is effective. I would like to try and find case studies of successful and unsuccessful therapies, to asses which aspects of therapy are effective. I would like to see if it is possible to compare therapy users with people who rely on medication, do people only rely on one or the other or is it a combination of both?

The next important question is what does art therapy mentally do for people with memory loss? I would like to find out what it actually does; does it bring back memories? Does it improve future memory loss issues? Does it make someone who may feel a huge range of emotions from depression and frustration to loneliness feel less isolated?

I would like to then look into the practical techniques used by art therapists and possibly try some of these out with my grandmother to see some results first hand. I would like to try and set up a placement with an art therapist to observe and take part in the therapy process; however from my own research I have read that this is a difficult thing to do as it is such a personal experience.

In conclusion of what I propose to investigate for my dissertation, I aim to have a clear understanding of memory loss, art therapy and how they go together. I would like to gain some experience of the practical uses of art therapy and experiment with them myself and with my family to understand if art therapy is an effective way of dealing with memory loss.