Photography As a Healing Art
Being photographed can be a healing experience, even a personally evolutionary experience for both the subject and the photographer. Is this an outrageous statement? At face value it certainly is. I certainly would have thought so years ago when I worked as a psychotherapist. Indeed, when I began my photography career I thought I had left my mental health work in the dust. Imagine my surprise when my photography clients and I often found ourselves emotionally touched, even moved, during our photography sessions.
There are distinct parallels between effective therapy and creative photography. Therapy can provide experiences whereby new behaviors are "sampled" or experimented with. Creative photography can provide similar experiences. Positive new dynamics can be experienced as the photography subjects, prompted by the photographer, interact in new ways during the photo session. These dynamics and behaviors are presented in a safe or non-threatening arena. After all, it's "just" a photography session. The emotional impact, however, can be profound. The photographs later serve as a powerful visual reminder or "anchor" for the experience.