Therapeutic Art

Creating is an outlet, which allows your imagination to run wild. It does not matter if it is a bare canvas waiting for the first brush stroke, or adding personal touches to a birdhouse or doll. What does matter is that our final creations typically mimic our emotions at the time of creation.

Art is one way to be self-expressive. When there are no words, a drawing often tells a story. An example of this is a child who experiences abuse in some way and will not speak of the matter. It is common practice to give them paper and crayons and let them draw. Most often, the picture will depict their emotions and give way to the door necessary to express verbally what happened to them. The art was the first therapeutic step in the healing process.

Another drawing or painting session can be one indicator in determining if depression is present in a child or adult. It is typical for the patient to use dark colors in a picture where bright colors would be more fitting. Many simply will draw odd or grotesque shapes that have meaning only to them.

Those who have experienced a neurological incident and have lost muscle strength from paralysis benefit greatly from creating. Motor skills greatly improve by implementing easy to accomplish tasks to more defined techniques as the muscles improve. Large handled paintbrushes, a can of paint and wooden boards are a good starting point. As the patient progresses in strength, they can move on to new projects that are obtainable for the level that they are able to achieve. Encouragement is completing a task successfully. The creative task should be simple enough to accomplish, but also challenging so the patient can recognize successful completion as a step forward in the healing process.

There are naturally many other steps, which are necessary by Dr’s, but the examples do show how an artistic craft can be the catalyst of the healing process. Whether it is a child harboring violation or abuse and cannot speak of it, or a patient with a neurological disorder, creating is a bona fide therapeutic tool of choice.