ARC Journal of Psychiatry Volume 3, Issue 1, 2018, PP 5-7 www.arcjournals.org ARC Journal of Psychiatry Page | 5 Role of Art Therapy in Curing Psychosis Oyindrila Basu* Researcher in Harvard Divinity School, USA. Teaching Assistant in Harvard University MOOC, USA 1. INTRODUCTION Art therapy is still unsusceptible to many people and hence various definitions have been theorized. Art therapy, sometimes called creative arts therapy or expressive arts therapy, encourages people to express and understand emotions through artistic expression and through the creative process. From The Free Dictionary. Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses art materials, such as paints, chalk and markers. Art therapy combines traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques with an understanding of the psychological aspects of the creative process, especially the affective properties of the different art materials, says Wikipedia. From a professional perspective, AATA defines art therapy as “Art therapy is the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others, cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilities; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art.” Therapists using this technique has to be well trained in a particular form of art like painting with Oil, Acrylic, pastels of water colour, sculpture, pottery, weaving, decoration, music, dance, poetry, drama or any other form which will help the person express about himself. Usually, colours have been found to have better positive nurturing effect on the minds of a patients. These practitioners also should be trained in counselling and therapy, in order to imply the arts in the right way. Art therapists are trained to pick up on nonverbal symbols and metaphors that are often expressed through art and the creative process, concepts that are usually difficult to express with words. It is through this process that the individual really begins to see the effects of art therapy and the discoveries that can be made. The 2014 guidelines of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the Treatment of Psychosis and Schizophrenia in Adults recommend these modalities — including art therapy — in conjunction with pharmacotherapy to "enhance an individual's creativity, emotional expression, communication, insight, and ability to relate to themselves and others." “A recent review of 18 studies on the use of art therapy as an intervention in adults with psychosis found that "high-quality qualitative articles indicated that therapists and clients consider art therapy to be a beneficial, meaningful, and acceptable intervention." *Corresponding Author: Oyindrila Basu, Teaching Assistant in Harvard University MOOC , Researcher in Harvard Divinity School, Boise, Idaho, USA. Email: oyindrila9@gmail.com Abstract: Art therapy is an expressive form of therapy using creative techniques to cure mental health issues, through artistic expressions of the patient. Science has a dubious attitude towards art therapy, and most people are opinion-driven by this method, hence this has not yet been introduced as an integral part of psychiatry. However, psychologists have faith in the use of art for counselling their patients. The study aims at focusing on the positive effects of painting and colours on the improvement rate of psychosis patients. Methodology used in the research is sample survey which is based on grouping 7 patients from Safe Heaven Hospital of Treasure Valley, Idaho. They were put to an artist residency program conducted by the Treasure Valley YMCA organization. It was found that the rate of improvement was had grown by 13% from the day that they had joined the program. The field analysis determines that art, especially colours have a positive effect on the mind of a psychotic patient.