PHOTOTHERAPY AS A DIRECTION OF ART THERAPY: THEORETICAL ASPECT

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical analysis of phototherapy as an independent branch of art therapy based on the use of photography as a means of psychological support, self-exploration, and personal transformation. The place of phototherapy within the structure of contemporary art-therapeutic approaches is substantiated, taking into account the development of visual culture and the digitalization of society. The specific nature of photography as a projective, symbolic, and communicative medium capable of actualizing emotional experience, memories, identification processes, and inner conflicts of the individual is revealed. The main functions of phototherapy are identified: reflective, communicative, structuring, motivational, therapeutic, cognitive, and aesthetic. The methods of work are characterized, including the analysis of personal and family photographs, the creation of new images, keeping photo diaries, photo collage, projective interpretation of images, photographic narration, and dialogue with the image. It is emphasized that phototherapy does not require special artistic training, since its effectiveness is determined not by the aesthetic value of the image but by its capacity to serve as a carrier of personal meanings. Scientific approaches to understanding phototherapy in the works of Judy Weiser, Noah Hass-Cohen, and Rebecca Bokoch are analyzed. The interdisciplinary potential of phototherapy at the intersection of psychology, psychotherapy, education, and neuroscience is demonstrated. Its significance for the development of self-expression, emotional regulation, the formation of narrative and cultural identity, and the integration of traumatic experience into personal life history is substantiated.