Table of Contents
Why is art considered therapeutic?
Therapist use patients’ free form art expressions to encourage them to talk about the images and to begin to look to themselves for meaning and insight. Combined with talk therapy, it can help people deal with strong emotions, increase self-awareness and self-worth and decrease stress and anxiety. In fact, people of all ages — children, teenagers, and adults — can take advantage of this treatment method. Research finds that both the presence of art, and art therapy, can have a positive impact on improving a person’s mental health. The arts’ valuable role in mental health is being recognised It can help to boost confidence and make us feel more engaged and resilient. Besides these benefits, art engagement also alleviates anxiety, depression and stress. The short answer is yes. Drawing, painting, and other forms of creativity can be used as stress relievers for most people who try them. Studies have shown that most people who try art as a form of therapy or stress relief have experienced significant reductions in their cortisol levels when doing so.
What does therapeutic mean in art?
Definition. Definition: Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Art therapy has also been shown to lead to increased self-esteem, confidence, and self-awareness. Art therapy is unique in that it allows individuals to express their feelings and emotions without ever having to say a word. The forms of art used in Art Therapy are usually visual arts including painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture. Other creative arts, such as music and creative writing, are also used for therapeutic purposes but are usually considered to be their own unique modalities. Art therapists maintain honesty in their dealings, accuracy in their relationships, faithfulness to their promises and truthfulness in their work. Justice: Art therapists commit to treating all persons with fairness. Art therapists ensure that clients have equal access to services. Art in any form, whether while creating or observing, reduces the stress hormone called cortisol. It also releases the feel-good hormones called endorphins which help you combat stress and pain. By letting you enjoy a sense of fulfillment, it transforms you into a more positive, well-rounded human being. Art gives a feeling of joy and boosts a good mood. Artwork fosters the feeling of relaxation, creativity, and inspiration. Any form of creativity can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and encourage the good hormones endorphins and dopamine in our brains.
What are the therapeutic benefits of art?
Studies suggest that art therapy can be very valuable in treating issues such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and even some phobias. It is a great way to express your emotions without words, process complex feelings and find relief. There is increasing evidence in rehabilitation medicine and the field of neuroscience that art enhances brain function by impacting brain wave patterns, emotions, and the nervous system. Art can also raise serotonin levels. These benefits don’t just come from making art, they also occur by experiencing art. It raises awareness. Its benefits are versatile and far-reaching. Art is a catalyst for positive transformation in all areas of human development and personal growth. Art has the potential to raise awareness about our individuality and humanity, our relationship to others and our bond with our environment. Perhaps one of the most common differences between the two is the overall goal, which is self expression. In other words, the main goal involving art therapy is to either communicate or express something, while the main goal involving therapeutic art-making is to either experiment or learn something. Artists create art that conveys to us how they think and feel about things. Artists use different lines, shapes, and colors to express their feelings. Every artist chooses their own colors, lines and shapes that are meaningful for them. Learn more about Expressionism as an artist movement HERE. The scans show that viewing art triggered a surge of dopamine, the happy chemical, into the brain, which results in feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.
What is the therapeutic process of art therapy?
Once art therapy is initiated, the client will engage in an art form, whether it be painting, sculpting, making a collage, or other artistic mode. The art therapist will observe the client as they create their artwork and may ask questions during the process as to the client’s thoughts and feelings. Especially when used in combination with other treatment methods, research shows that art therapy: Calms the nervous system. Art therapy activities are meditative, quiet, and calming, which helps soothe symptoms of stress, nervousness, and irritability. Drawing — and other forms of art — can help you release stress and anxiety. You can draw at home to boost your imagination and creativity, be more mindful and grounded, and relieve anxious thoughts. You can also work with an art therapist to help you manage mental health conditions or trauma. Art can communicate information, shape our everyday lives, make a social statement and be enjoyed for aesthetic beauty. All art can broaden knowledge, give enjoyment, and challenge our assumptions; but it can also help soothe, calm, enlighten, and uplift the mind and spirit. Even art that leaves us uncomfortable can still help us to think differently and give us new perspective. Art contributes to a sense of self. When we do something creative, we are “self”-making. Not only does art allow us to self-reflect, but it also has a positive impact on our overall health and wellbeing. Research shows that participating in creative activity can have a positive influence on health outcomes.
What does therapeutic art look like?
Art therapy can include a wide range of art materials and processes. Your sessions could potentially include activities such as working with clay, painting, making a mask, creating a visual journal, and assembling a collage. Most often, the focus will be on the process rather than creating a finished art product. Painting, just like many of the arts, is therapeutic. It provides a conduit to emotional release. This is well demonstrated in how painting is being utilized today as a means of therapy and rehabilitation for traumatized individuals, such as soldiers returning from war. The Effects the Arts Can Have on Your Emotions and Thinking Because a work of art can touch us deeply—rousing our emotions, stimulating critical thinking, sharpening our perceptions, and fostering kindness. It doesn’t just connect us with what’s inside of ourselves but also with what’s inside someone else. Art Opens Your Heart and Feeds Your Mind Looking at art provides an opportunity to exercise critical thinking, experience a renewed self-awareness, and potentially even a deeper connection to others and their experiences, as we share what we feel and try to interpret what we see. Art enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, lateral thinking, complex analysis and critical thinking skills.
Why is art good for depression?
Depression and Art Therapy Art therapy provides an individual who is feeling pressured or overwhelmed with an opportunity to slow down and explore the issues that are occurring in their life. It provides them with a way to manage their behavior, reduce anxiety, process feelings, and destress. Studies also show that creating art stimulates the release of dopamine. This chemical is released when we do something pleasurable, and it basically makes us feel happier. Increased levels of this feel-good neurotransmitter can be very helpful if you are battling anxiety or depression. Art does not show people what to do, yet engaging with a good work of art can connect you to your senses, body, and mind. It can make the world felt. And this felt feeling may spur thinking, engagement, and even action. The healing arts are creative practices that promote healing, wellness, coping and personal change. Traditional healing arts include music, art, dance/movement, poetry/writing, and drama therapies. The most widely studied common factors include the therapeutic alliance, therapist empathy, positive regard, genuineness, and client expectations for the outcome of therapy (i.e., the extent to which clients believe therapy will be helpful in alleviating problems) (Cuijpers, Reijnders, & Huibers, 2019).
Why is art emotionally important?
Art allows students to release stress in a healthy way. It gives them an alternative way to express themselves – either through a shared experience, or one that’s more private. It’s what we crave in the human experience. Art gives meaning to our lives and helps us understand our world. It is an essential part of our culture because it allows us to have a deeper understanding of our emotions; it increases our self-awareness, and also allows us to be open to new ideas and experiences. Art binds. Culture generates social capital and strengthens a community’s character. Art brings people together physically — at galleries, museums, performance spaces — and culturally, through its capacity to tell a community’s shared story, to inspire reflection, and form connections that transcend differences. People want to express themselves, to let other people know who they are, what they think, what they are feeling. People sometimes prefer to express themselves artistically rather than just telling other people what they are feeling and thinking in a more straightforward and less symbolic way.
Why does art relieve stress?
Many people who are artistically inclined say that the creation of their art is a wonderful stress reliever. The creation of art can provide a catharsis for difficult emotions, a distraction from stressful thoughts and experiences, and a chance to get into a state of flow that can be restorative in many ways. Art is an immediate mood-booster, and it fosters feelings of relaxation, creativity, and inspiration. Many studies have shown that both creating and looking at art can support mental wellbeing. Any form of art can help reduce stress hormones, while increasing endorphins and dopamine in our brain. Art has the power to move individuals to social action, manipulate and influence, entertain, and educate. Many are afraid to approach art, viewing it from afar as an elite subject and esoteric. Art and Emotion. One central feature of aesthetic experiences is their ability to arouse emotions in perceivers. It feels natural to experience joy, pleasure shivers down the spine, awe in sight of grandiose artworks, or sometimes even negative emotions of fear, anger or disgust in front of visually challenging stimuli … The artwork makes available an emotion through which our thoughts, absorption, or even curiosity transform. In a work like Untitled (Black Blue Painting), the transformation exists in the movement from darkness to light. In general, studies in this review found that creative activity: has a positive impact on our sense of hope, self-worth, and well-being. improves our sense of connectedness and widens our social networks. decreases depression and anxiety and reduces stress.