Art therapies are a concept that entered the global literature after the 1940s. Since then, they have evolved through engagement with many disciplines, gaining a place both in the field of psychotherapy and in social contexts through their diverse approaches. Art therapies and archaeo-therapy meet at the intersection of two disciplines aimed at understanding and healing individuals’ inner worlds. While art therapy enables individuals to express their emotions, thoughts, and experiences through creative processes, archaeo-therapy activates the individual and collective unconscious by drawing on traces of past civilizations, past experiences, and the cultural objects and spaces of the past. When these two approaches are considered together, they give rise to a profound process of awareness at both personal and historical levels.
Contact with archaeological objects evokes a sense of curiosity, belonging, and continuity in the individual; through Freudian techniques of art therapy, this experience manifests itself symbolically. In this way, the individual can establish a connection between the past and the present, reinterpreting their unconscious and experiences. Especially for individuals experiencing trauma, identity search, cultural disconnection, migration, and confusion regarding a sense of social belonging, this integrated approach can offer a healing and transformative space.