#35 TRENDING IN Mental Health 🔥

Healing Through Creativity: Why You Should Use the Transformative Power of Art Therapy

Mental Health

November 22, 2024

“Visual arts, whether you’re engaging in them or just appreciating them, can bring enjoyment and encouragement, but expressing oneself through art can also have physical and mental health benefits.” - Psychiatry.org

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What is Art Therapy?

Let's talk about "art therapy," a type of psychotherapy that helps provide a way to express emotions and experiences not easily expressed in words. Art therapy isn't about “the final product,” but the healing process of making art.

Research has identified a large range of both physical and mental benefits of art therapy. For example, a study of cancer patients found that a four-hour-long guided, creative art therapy exercise (drawing) improved patients' psychological well-being by decreasing negative emotions.

The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) is a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting the professional practice of art therapy. The AATA defines art therapy as “an integrative mental health and human services profession that helps individuals through active art-making and creative process in a psychotherapy setting.”

Art therapy is used to reduce conflicts and distress, improve cognitive functions, foster self-esteem, and build emotional resilience and social skills. It engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from verbal communication, according to the association.

- The American Art Therapy Association

Art therapists are master-level clinicians who work with people of all ages in many practice settings such as hospitals, schools, private practices, psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities, and crisis centers.

Image Credit: Tim Arterbury on Unsplash

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How Art Therapy Helps Your Mental Health:

One six-month study of caregivers of people with long-term illness found that regularly taking part in creative activities reduced stress, decreased anxiety, and increased positive emotions among caregivers. In hospitals, the use of art therapy showed fewer patients needed sleep medication and even reduced the length of hospital stays.

A study of women with cancer who engaged in different types of visual arts, including card-making, collage, pottery, watercolor, and acrylics, found four types of benefits: it improved focus on positive life experiences, and reduced focus on their cancer; enhanced their self-worth and identity through challenge and achievement; allowed them to maintain a social identity not related to cancer; and allowed them to express their feelings, especially related to chemotherapy. Another study of women with cancer showed reduced emotional distress and a decrease in physical symptoms with the use of art therapy.

Plus, research over the past decade found art therapy to be a “potentially low-risk and high-benefit intervention to minimize symptoms and maximize functioning in individuals living with serious mental illness.”

Art Therapy Alternatives:

There are other creative pursuits, such as music, writing, dance, and play-acting, that have also demonstrated emotional and mental health benefits.

Image Credit: Andrian Valeanu on Unsplash

Final Thoughts

Personally, as a teen who struggles with anxiety, I feel creative activities are a great way to take my mind off of something that's stressing me out. I find playing piano, singing with my choir or alone, painting, drawing, and journaling tends to help me.

But there are so many other creative hands-on activities you can use. Journaling can help get your thoughts on paper and out of your mind, and anything hands-on can take your mind off worrisome things.

So, if you are struggling with a mental concern or just looking to cope with everyday stresses, consider adding some creative art to your day! Take up a hobby like painting, drawing, scrapbooking—anything creative and hands-on will work. You can also find trained art therapists through the American Art Therapy Association, Art Therapist Locator, or through an online directory at the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

References
American Art Therapy Association
Psychiatry.org

Savannah Bledden
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Writer since Nov, 2024 · 5 published articles

Savannah Bledden is a passionate reader and aspiring writer with diverse interests in the murder mystery genre, fiction, and true crime genre. When not writing you can find Savannah hanging out with friends, reading a book, listening to music, or outside roaming the streets.

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