Mentalization and Art Therapy
Understanding Mentalization
In recent years, the concept of mentalization has become essential in understanding what makes therapy effective, particularly in approaches grounded in relational and creative processes. Mentalization, as developed by Peter Fonagy and colleagues, refers to our capacity to perceive and interpret our own behavior and that of others as expressions of mental states.
Fonagy’s research, widely supported in developmental psychology, neuroscience, and language sciences, positions mentalization as something even more complex than empathy. While empathy allows us to feel with another person, mentalization is the deeper process that makes empathy possible: the imaginative work of considering the other’s inner world as separate from our own.
Mentalization and early relationships
Attachment research shows that children develop mentalizing capacities when caregivers respond to their inner world with curiosity and attunement. When a caregiver reflects, “You look sad, I wonder what happened?” the child learns not only to identify feelings but also that their inner experiences are understandable and shareable.
This foundation becomes the blueprint for how we relate to ourselves and to others throughout life.
Mentalization and Art Therapy
One of the beautiful things about art therapy is that the art process itself invites mentalization without forcing it.
When a person engages in creativity, they externalize something internal. The artwork becomes a mirror. Together, therapist and client can begin to explore:
What was happening inside you when you made this mark?
What does this color or shape feel like today?
If this image had a voice, what might it be saying?
These questions are not about decoding or analyzing the artwork. Instead, they gently open space for curiosity, perspective-taking, and emotional awareness, all central components of mentalizing.
Art therapy also activates imagination, a psychological function critical for mentalization. To understand another person’s point of view, we need imagination. To understand a piece of art, we also need imagination. In this way, the creative process becomes training ground for understanding the human mind.
From the artwork to everyday life
As clients learn to reflect on their creative choices, tolerate uncertainty, and explore different interpretations of their artwork, they begin to transfer the same reflective stance to their relationships and daily experiences.
“If I pause and imagine what was happening for me here… could I also pause in real life and imagine what might be happening for someone else?”
This shift, from certainty to curiosity, is often where healing begins.