This is an exploration of the different ways in which the spiritual can be used in therapy. The contributor write from a range of perspectives including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and shamanic and explain how their own spiritual and creative influences interact, finding expression in the use of art as a healing agent with specific populations, such as bereaved children, emotionally disturbed adolescents and the homeless. The relationships between spirituality and visual art, art therapy and transpersonal pyschology are also examined.

This comprehensive book brings together the voices of international art therapists with diverse backgrounds and experiences and asks them to consider the role of postmodernism in their understanding of art therapy. These practitioners share a common postmodern belief that art is a unique way of expressing and mediating the human condition and that art therapy should not be a diagnostic tool but a collaborative healing process between the therapist and the client. Drawing on psychotherapy, aesthetics and philosophy, the contributors present current practice, research and case studies and show the many directions and possibilities of postmodern art therapy. This book is an important addition to art therapy theory and will be a crucial text for all art therapy students, academics, researchers and practitioners.