Pergamon The Arts in Psychotherapy, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 295-298, 1994 Copyright 0 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0197-4556194 $6.M) + .OO 0197-4556(94)08032-8 zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONM WHAT KIND OF ART THERAPY? BRUCE L. MOON, MA, M.DIV, A.T.R.* My task in this article is to pay homage to the extraordinary contributions to the studies of art, psy- chology and art therapy of Rudolf Amheim. I have found this to be a daunting task, for the measure of the depth and insight of Amheim’s offerings is exceeded only by its volume. To genuinely address the magni- tude of his work demands more than the limitations that journal space will permit. So it is that I have chosen to focus my attention on one idea (i.e., his view of the nature of art). I believe this captures the profound and radical essence that permeates the writ- ings of Rudolf Amheim. I want to explore the notion that authentic art disturbs, grabs, creates turmoil, pro- foundly alters and sometimes shocks. This perspec- tive on the nature of art leads inevitably to questions for art therapists: “What kind of art is in art ther- apy?’ ’ Are we art therapists engaged in grabbing, altering and creating turmoil as we work with our patients? What kind of art therapy do we practice? In order to respond to such simple yet provocative ques- tions it is essential that we examine Amheim’s view of art from the perspective of the clinical milieu. I invite you to join me in a meditation of application, Listen: Art is the quality that makes the difference be- tween merely witnessing or performing things and being touched by them, shaken by them, changed by the forces that are inherent in ev- erything we give and receive. . . . (The) sensi- tivity to the forces that underlie the facts of reality makes the difference between mere ex- istence and true living. (Amheim, 1966) Everyday in my work I interact with colleagues who seem to have lost their fascination for the forces within our patients that touch, shake and change. I am irritated each time that I talk with insurance case re- viewers by their insensitivity to the inner realities of my patients’ lives. These realities defy empirical study and quantification. The managers of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) have no room in their narrow view of billable services for any immea- surable gain. Conversation among hospital adminis- trators tends to focus on profit margins, DRGs, stra- tegic marketing and capitation contracts rather than quality of care. This is reductionism in the most ma- levolent sense of the word. In today’s mental health systems a patient’s well- being is likely to be measured in dollars and cents. It is as if third-party payers and administrators believe that patients are cured if they have not killed them- selves or anyone else six months after a brief hospital stay. The quality of the human being’s life has been all but erased from the equation. As an art therapist I am aware that these reductionists regard my work as a frill in the care of the emotionally disturbed. This view of my profession is, ironically, reassuring to me. As I encounter the trappings of their disciplines (i.e., numbers, market share projections and managerial maneuvers) I find their professions terribly superflu- ous to the people I care for. *Bruce Moon is the Co-Director of the Clinical Internship in Art Therapy of Harding Hospital, Worthington, Ohio. He is the author of zyxwvutsrqpo Existential Art Therapy: The Canvas Mirror, Essentials of Art Therapy Training and Practice, and Introduction to Art Therapy: Faith in the Product. He is also an active painter. 295