ABSTRACT
Elements of abstract art appear in many early cultures as signs or inscriptions on rocks, or marks and decoration on pottery, where simple geometric and linear forms were used. The result of the technique that are used in this chapter is quite astounding as it allows for a client to freely associate with their own abstract images, giving easier access to their unconscious, and helping them with insights they might not have had otherwise. Working with abstract images is quite different than working with figurative images. Art psychotherapy or ‘art in therapy’ can also be done with abstract images, which is hardly discussed in any art therapy publication world-wide. A mind map can be created within this technique. It is like a geographical map, but instead of showing different countries, it shows the ‘inner map’ of a person, what is going on deep inside them, but in an ordered way. To create this ‘inner map’, you will need to listen carefully to the different descriptions your client provides and order them according to the main themes that come up. The reader is encouraged to participate through drawings and self-reflection.
