Ars Curae. The use of art images in care contexts: developments, reflections, and empirical evidence

This paper presents the theoretical rationale, clinical framework, and an illustrative case concerning the use of fineart images in systemicrelational psychotherapy. Drawing on Bion’s theory of symbolic thinking and the concept of the “optical unconscious,” the work integrates evidence from neuroaesthetics and embodied simulation to demonstrate how aesthetic experience – by activating emotional, affective, motivational and mirroring circuits – can facilitate processes of mentalization, emotional regulation, and the coconstruction of meaning within the therapeutic relationship. The I colori della luce Collection (260 images, 26 categories) is described as a distanceregulation tool designed to promote access to inner experiences and the threegenerational dimension that often eludes verbal communication. The clinical case of Tommaso, a young adult with marked psychotic distress within a family characterized by high communicative confusion, illustrates the image selection/association procedure (categories: Child, Male Individual, Parents, Father, Mother, Resources) and the main outcomes: increased shared thinkability, elaboration of loyalty conflicts, resignification of family history, improved functioning, and consolidation of personal and relational resources in synergy with psychiatric treatment. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords: art images, systemicrelational psychotherapy, neuroaesthetics, embodied simulation, mentalization, clinical case.

Conny Leporatti, Cristian Di Gesto, Ars curae. Uso di immagini d’arte nel contesto di cura: sviluppi, riflessioni e prove empiriche in "TERAPIA FAMILIARE" 139/2025, pp 39-61, DOI: 10.3280/TF2025-139003