You may have heard of art therapy before, and you may already have an image in your head of what it’s like, but no matter where your first impression of art therapy comes from, there is so much to learn about processing your emotions through art.
Regardless of whether you want to use art to help manage mental illness, physical health challenges or even stress, there are so many benefits to going about your therapy in an artistic way. Even if you aren’t an artist in the traditional sense, leaning into your artistic side for the purpose of self-fulfillment, rather than the product, can be extremely rewarding.
No matter what setting you’re introduced to art therapy in, or where you choose to practice it, art therapy is a great way to handle and manage so many things in life. Of course, everybody is different, which means that you can use art therapy for a variety of purposes, and it has a unique impact on every patient.
Here are just a few of the many ways that art therapy can serve you in your life.
Anxiety reduction
Many people struggle with anxiety, both general and pertaining to particular situations—such as social anxiety or food anxiety, or anxiety that’s related to anything else.
Whether you see a therapist about your anxiety already, or you’re embarking specifically into the world of art therapy, expressing your creative side and busy-ing your hands are two of the best ways to manage anxiety and its symptoms, making art therapy a great option.
Stress relief
Similar to anxiety, stress can be another culprit that makes life tenser than it needs to be. Stress can take a physical and mental toll on anybody, and although it’s a bit difficult to closely study art therapy, most studies tend to show an overall reduction of stress in adults who practice it.
This makes sense, as expressing yourself and getting lost in an activity that feels removed from your expectations and responsibilities can feel extremely freeing.
Self-exploration
While people often think of art as self-expression, people don’t always think about art therapy in the same way. However, regardless of what you’re using your art practice for, you’re still expressing your thoughts and feelings about things through a new medium.
Art is a malleable practice that allows you to tear, cover, replace and cut things up. You can use your practice to express yourself, or simply explore how you want to express yourself. Really, you can use it as an opportunity to communicate with yourself.
The value of process over product
If you’re familiar with art therapy, you may know what process over product means. Even if not, it’s exactly what it sounds like—valuing the process of creation and the feelings you experience during it over the end result, as opposed to reaching for a specific desired result.
By learning to value process over product, you can learn to enjoy the journey and let go of expectations.
Depression symptom improvement
What about art therapy for those who don’t struggle with anxiety, but instead struggle with depression? Well, art therapy tends to help with that, too. Especially when depression is tied to certain life events and circumstances, art therapy and the journey of creating something can be a great way to process your feelings and decompress.
Again, studies can vary, but overall, they tend to show improvements in adults with depression in response to art therapy.
Emotional processing
No matter the exact circumstances you’re struggling with, practicing art therapy can be a great way to process your emotions, both about specific events and about your overall emotional state.
You can use art therapy as a venue to explore how you feel and what your hands physically want to create. Usually, art therapy isn’t about using your art to analyze how you feel, but instead, about using the process to consider your own emotions internally.
Collaboration with others
Although art therapy is often a solitary activity, there are plenty of ways that art therapy can be provided in a group setting, as a form of group processing, collaboration and even team building.
Not only can this serve as a process to collaborate with others in the moment, but it can also provide the opportunity to create something together, which can be extremely gratifying on a personal and group level.
Self-esteem building
Another great benefit of art therapy is that it can help you develop a positive self-image and self esteem. Processing your feelings and learning to express yourself can be transformative both inside and out, so it’s no wonder that art therapy can build your positive self-esteem up. It can even help improve your communication skills.
Pain management
Most people talk about art therapy in the context of mental health and personal life events, but did you know that you can even use art therapy to assist with your physical health?
A 2018 study actually found that 50 minutes of art therapy has the power to lower rates of pain in hospitalized patients. While art therapy is no replacement for necessary pain medication, it can certainly help with the mental end of pain management.
Trauma processing
As with stress, anxiety and depression, practicing art therapy can help you process trauma—not entirely through the art that you create, but through the process and feelings that emerge through the creation of the art itself.
Trauma is different for everybody, and the process of understanding and uncovering it can be difficult; therefore, having a safe space like art can truly make a huge difference.
Dig deeper with art therapy
Art therapy is different for everyone, but overall, it can provide a multitude of benefits throughout all the different parts of your life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, stress or even physical ailments, art therapy can provide a venue for you to process thoughts and feelings and communicate with yourself.
Art therapy allows you to dig deeper into your own emotions through the process of creation, which truly is the most beautiful part of creating. Are you excited to give art therapy a try?
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