Initially used as a therapy for people with neurological conditions, art therapy has been found to offer many benefits in autoimmune and other chronic disorders.
In his writings on flow and creativity, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi brought attention to the emotional as well as physical benefits of reaching within ourselves and developing mindful challenges, for instance that keep us engrossed while learning something new. Getting in touch with our creative self frees us from the nagging preoccupations that perpetuate revolve around our health. By letting go, we release the cloying negative effects of chronic stress that people with autoimmune disorders are prone to. Creativity and a sense of flow can be nurtured through art therapy, music therapy, yoga, dance therapy, journal therapy and related disciplines. This article explores the benefits of art therapy for healing.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a professional human service discipline, which utilizes art media, images, the creative art process, and patient/client responses that reflect individual development, creative ability and progress, interests, concerns and conflicts. Based on the fundamental principles of human development as well as the psychological models of assessment and treatment, art therapy includes educational, psychodynamic, cognitive, transpersonal and other therapeutic means of reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, developing social skills, managing behavior, reducing anxiety, resolving conflicts, aiding reality orientation, and increasing self-esteem.
Benefits of Art Therapy
Art therapy is an effective treatment for patients with social, physical, or psychological impairment. Although it is not precisely known how art taps into physical and intellectual memories disrupted by neurodegenerative diseases, scientists suspect that the process allows people to find alternative routes to misplaced memories. Csikszentmihalyi attributes the passionate joy and emotional release inherent in creativity and its total engrossment of what you’re doing rather than being constantly distracted by other concerns and external factors.
Art therapists explain how drawing works to evoke memories, taking you back to another place and time, and it allows your repressed fears and feelings to surface. Creating images from one’s unconscious is a powerful tool in terms of healing and resolution which allows patients a way of reconnecting to their former selves. Through art, unconscious feelings can be expressed and people can communicate even when language skills are impaired. For this reason, art therapy has become an integral part of the therapeutic process for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
In a study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, researchers found that women with cancer who sculpted and sketched for four months experienced less drowsiness, pain, insomnia and overall stress. In related studies art therapy has been found to facilitate healing and reduce symptoms in patients with arthritis andother chronic disorders,
How to Begin
Professional art therapists are available, and practitioners can be found through the American Art Therapy Association at www.arttherapistlocator.org. However, art therapy can be incorporated to any healing program without formal instruction. Choosing a medium such as colored pencils, paint or clay that appeals to you. Sketching, sculpting, drawing, and oil or watercolor painting are all options. Experts suggest starting out by using the non-dominant hand to help you loosen up. To enter a state of flow, work quickly and intuitively without using a formal plan or diagram of what you’re trying to accomplish. When your project is complete, examine to see what, if any, types of feelings it evokes. Explore other types of media and unleash your creative spark. The enjoyment of creating something enables you and your immune system’s cells a chance to relax.
Resources:
Elizabeth Barker, The Artist Within, Natural Health, November 2006.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, New York: Harper Collins, 1996.
Art Therapy Credentials Board, American Art Therapy Association, www.atch.org/whatisarttherapy
