Art Therapy: A new, trendy way to heal...
You’ve probably seen or maybe experienced it during your hospital stay, coloring books given out to adults. No, this is not just to “pass time” or entertain patients. There is a reason I wanted to delve into art therapy a little deeper as there are so many misconceptions about this method, and its effectiveness. Some laugh at the thought of “painting” their stress away or healing their inner child through “doodling on paper”.
But the reality is that art therapy works! Some of the misconceptions around it include:
● It’s not effective and/or is not backed by research
● It’s only for use in children and it’s only used in hospitals
● Anyone can do it (yes and no)
● You have to be “good” at art
● It’s mainly entertainment
All of these things couldn’t be farther from the truth. Being a new field, there is not a ton of research or studies on the effects of art therapy, but those that have been conducted, clearly point to an improved state of wellbeing, not only pertaining to mental health, but also physical, emotional, and spiritual. Yes, it's most notable in those who struggle with certain conditions such as PTSD or other forms of traumatic disorders, anxiety/depression, dementia, ADHD, bipolar, autism, grief, or stress. But it can also offer the same benefits to a variety of other health conditions as well.
Patients who were provided the opportunity to practice art therapy have consistently scored lower on anxiety/depression questionnaires or scoring tools (in part thanks to increased dopamine), reported decreased pain and fatigue, and those with Alzheimer’s even demonstrated improved cognition and memory (Hu et al., 2021).
Cancer patients, asthmatics, and those with Parkinson's are some of the other groups that have shown to greatly benefit from art therapy as well. How’s this for some “doodling”? (Tiret, 2017)
I think the main reason why people tend to assume that art therapy is only for kids is because you may feel silly doing it as an adult. But don’t let societal expectations or standards get in the way. Nor do you have to be hospitalized to take advantage of this wonderful form of treatment. Art therapy is used in schools, private practice offices, senior living facilities, and psychiatric or mental health facilities. But you don’t even have to visit or belong to any of these to do art therapy. There are plenty of great online resources and tools to do it from the comfort of your home.
You can use this website to find a licensed art therapist by clicking below.
There are also some services online that
have amazing offerings, such as https://heartsneedart.org/.
Please feel free to donate what you can to keep their services available to all.
Think anyone can do it? Yes and no.
Art therapy is different from art, it is a guided process in the presence of a qualified and licensed individual, aimed at bringing awareness, insight, and healing through creative expression.
Which brings me to my next question. Or should I say, YOUR next question.
"Can I do it even if I’m not 'artistic'?", you may say. Well of course you can!
It’s not a contest, and there are a variety of forms from which you can choose, whether it be music, painting, drawing, poetry, acting, you get the idea. “It’s entertainment”. It’s entertaining, yes, but it’s not “just entertainment”. There’s a difference. It makes for a fun way of expression, especially for those who may struggle with verbal or other forms of expression. But besides being entertaining, it can offer loads of insight.
Art therapy can help you delve into your subconscious deeper than you could imagine, making a way to bring lurking issues to the surface. In offering this type of insight, pent up emotions are released, whether positive or negative, including stress. In gaining a better understanding of your emotions, and you, as a whole, you become empowered to tailor your perceptions to your needs, to work through the blockages, and achieve whole body healing.
Hu J, Zhang J, Hu L, Yu H, Xu J. (2021). Art Therapy: A Complementary Treatment for Mental Disorders. Front Psychol.,12:686005. doi:
10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686005. PMID: 34456801; PMCID: PMC8397377.
Tiret, H. (2017). The benefits art therapy can have on mental and physical health.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_benefits_art_therapy_can_have_on_mental_and_physical_health
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