Conditions of Therapeutic Expressionism...

“If art should at one stage reject philosophy as “for the birds” and at a later stage demand philosophy as part of its substance, then one has almost an illustration of what Hegel thought of as stages in the history of Spirit..

which culminates in the advent of Spirit attaining to a philosophical understanding of its own nature. When Spirit, as subject, grasps the essence of Spirit, as object- when subject and object become one- a gap will have been closed and a period of internal development will have run its course.” (Danto, 1997) 

• Therapeutic expressionism, I posit, focuses on the mind, body, and soul of the constructed self in an effort to identify roots of negative feelings, emotions, and attachments. 
• Through the engagement, there is a capacity for the awareness of "a philosophical understanding of ones' own nature."
• The conception of this ideology was created with the expressed purpose of supporting the healing and collective uplift of Black Americans, specifically those who have a lineage to the institution of American Slavery. 
• A way to assist the process of transforming trauma and pain into physical displays of healing that are specific to the individual but contributes to the collective cultural identity. 
• One of the many core components of the institution of American slavery was the oppressive suppression of the overall expression of the Black being. 
• This idea supports the increase of social and emotional capital. 
• Focuses on creating an individualized pathway to healing with the assistance of therapeutic modalities to reconstitute the negative self concept with one that is positive and aligned with a worthy and progressive ideal.
• Core component is identifying inherent creative abilities and channeling them through a medium of creative expression, whether already formed, or ones that are yet to be created.
• The holistic approach to understanding the dimensions of the individualized self and how those dimensions can be expressed in a hostile environment that is not supportive of your autonomous awareness and abilities. 

“Right or wrong, my view now was that the art world was not demanding only a philosophy of art. It was demanding a philosophy of its own history. And it is that that the essays composedthe present volume mean to lay out… (Danto, 1997)  

• Given the past and present subversion of the history of the Black being, there is a need for the creation of and expression of the “philosophy of its own history”. My hope is that through the development of therapeutic expression will also introduce a new love ethic and value system that is more in line with the worthy and progressive of the ideal for all who resonate but specifically for the Black American. 

Created and Developed by Yogabrofessor

Goldblatt, D., & Brown, L. (1997). Aesthetics: A Reader in Philosophy of the Arts.