How Art Therapy Can Benefit Mental Health

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Art”? A creative, imaginative, and fun activity you do for relaxation. Right? What if I tell you it can be therapeutic too? By therapeutic, I mean therapy in the literal sense. Hard to believe! Is it?

Art therapy is one of the integrative forms of therapy. It involves the integration of art and psychology to treat mental health disorders. This form of treatment uses art as a medium to improve a person’s mental and emotional well-being.
It is known to have a favorable impact on treating the symptoms like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc. But before we delve into the benefits of this treatment, let’s understand what it means.

A Brief Overview

Art therapy is a healing method that uses creative expression to heal a person’s psychological disorders. It involves using various art forms like journaling, sketching, sculpting, etc., to express their thoughts, experiences, emotions, and feelings. All these forms are used as a medium to communicate their feelings.

You can choose any form that you feel comfortable with. You can either choose to do it on your own or with the help of a therapist. But working with a therapist is always more advisable since they tailor the activity based on your needs and requirements.

In simpler words, it refers to self-expression using art. But try it only when you are ready to open up about your innermost feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

What Can It Help With?

Many studies have shown that it helps in improving communication and concentration levels. It has also been known to reduce feelings of loneliness in a person. It also has a positive impact on self-esteem, self-awareness, and confidence.

This form of treatment might provide relief in the case of many disorders and diseases. It includes conditions like:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Attention deficit disorder
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Substance abuse
• Cancer
• Fatigue
• Heart disease
• Bulimia
• Anorexia
• Other types of eating disorders
• Cognitive issues
• Family or relationship issues

Though not entirely conclusive, this therapy form has shown to cause improvement in some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.

The Different Techniques

It involves using various forms like media and materials that help with self-expression. Its types include — music, dance, painting, and writing.

Its various techniques include:

• Storytelling
• Photography
• Drawing or Doodling
• Collage making
• Metalwork or Woodwork
• Embroidery, knitting, or other forms of craft
• Finger painting
• Using clay to create art forms

The various activities involved in this process are:

• Journaling about your safe space
• Painting about your safe space
• Drawing or painting about your mood
• Playing a song that exactly mirrors your feelings

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What are the Advantages?

Various studies have shown how this therapy has improved the patient’s quality of life. It does so by helping them better manage their psychological issues like stress, burnout, etc. It also has a favorable impact on physical health.

The best part of this therapy is that it can be customized based on your specific needs and requirements. Hence, it focuses on the overall well-being of the person. There are several benefits of this form of therapy. These include:

• Helps in self-management — Self-management is essential if one wants to get over the side effects of addiction. The cause of addiction can be anything from personal life to professional life. People who find it challenging to balance their normal daily activities often resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Art helps them by providing a healthy medium to cultivate discipline and lead a healthy life.
• Helps relieve the symptoms of depression — Many people suffering from depression fall prey to substance abuse and thus use substances to cope with their symptoms. This form of therapy can help them relieve the symptoms of depression. It helps instill positivity in their lives. It has been proven to help with chemical imbalances in the brain, which ultimately helps in improving the symptoms of depression.
• Helps improve communication skills — People who struggle to express their thoughts, feelings, and emotions rely on harmful coping mechanisms like drugs, alcohol, etc. Art can provide them with a healthy medium to cope. They can express themselves freely through this form of creative expression. This helps them improve their communication skills and form healthy connections.
• Helps resolve past trauma — Trauma is an emotional response to a past adverse event. Most people repress their painful thoughts and emotions. This trauma gets stored in their mind and body. Hence, it’s essential to process and heal it. If not healed, it can trigger them from time to time. Art can help channel and healthily express their emotions and feelings. This helps them in resolving their past traumas.
• Helps reduce stress — Stress has become part and parcel of one’s life. Balancing personal and professional life causes a lot of stress in the daily life of people. This can often cause them to turn to addictions and indulge in negative habits. So what’s the solution? Well, you can’t eliminate a habit. However, you can replace them with healthier habits. Say, for example, Art. It helps you convert your negative energy to positive energy.
• Helps improve problem-solving skills — This therapy is beneficial for young people. It increases their problem-solving skills by enhancing their creativity.
• Helps improve self-esteem — A person suffering from self-esteem issues struggles to find their place in this world. They might find themselves unworthy and hence struggle to express themselves freely. Art can prove to be therapeutic for such people. It can give them a safe haven to open up about their issues. It can help them vocalize what they are feeling. A medium like journaling helps them comprehend their emotions and feel better.
• Helps reduce the symptoms of mental health disorders — This form of treatment is proven to reduce the severity of symptoms of mental health disorders. It can also help reduce pain, stress, and irritability during recovery.
• Helps reduce anxiety — It can help you be in tune with your emotions. It can help you express those emotions and feelings which are too painful or difficult for you to comprehend. It enables you to see things in a new light and gives you an entirely different perspective. Furthermore, it allows you to be grounded in the present moments and promotes mindfulness. This gives you time and space to get away from the rampaging thoughts in your mind. This ultimately helps reduce the feelings of anxiety.
• Provides you with a healthy medium of distraction — Distractions can be either healthy or unhealthy. Substance, alcohol, smoking, etc., are harmful forms of distraction one can indulge in. Art provides you with a healthy medium to distract yourself. It helps keep the negative thoughts and cravings away.

Get Started With a Trusted Therapist from Docvita Today!

Now that you know the multiple benefits of art therapy, indulge in this creative form of expression. If you find it hard to cope with your issues, consider opting for art therapy.

Finding a trusted therapist has never been easier. We at DocVita have various specialists that can help you with your issues. All you need to do is hop on to DocVita’s book a therapist page and schedule your first session.