Expressive Art: Bringing Home the Inner Healer
October 22nd, 2007 |Written by by Tanya Vallianos, MA, LPC, ATR
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There is an emerging movement around the world to use expressive arts in healthcare settings because of the numerous benefits to overall wellness. Large research hospitals such as Duke, Stanford, Ursaline, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Sloan-Kettering and Northwestern, and others, have long understood the value of bringing the expressive arts into the hospital proper. Medical science is finding that artistic activities can actually prolong patients survival rate by reducing stress levels, increasing relaxation, improving immune system functioning, reducing and improving blood pressure, heart rate and respiration, and reducing pain.
The body is the vessel through which thoughts, sensations, emotions, and all of life are experienced. Our bodies literally contain cellular memories of all growth and regeneration. Consciously tapping into the wisdom of our bodies is a process by which we exchange with dialogue through a new and different language. As we get more fluent in this language we begin to realize that we truly hold within ourselves all the answers to our deepest questions, as well as the ability to heal ourselves from emotional and physical illness. Creative arts expression is one modality that can trigger and enhance this natural process.
Imagery is the most fundamental language we have. All of our brain processes are initiated through images and this is the way in which the mind communicates with the body. Our thoughts have a direct influence on the way we feel and behave. Negative and anxiety-ridden thoughts cause stress on the physical body and can influence the health of a body. Our imagination can be a powerful tool to help combat stress, tension and negativity. Visualization and art-making can be used as a means to harness the energy of imagination. It is a transformative experience when a negative, angry, and destructive image is replaced by a positive, peaceful, and loving image. The body and the spirit responds vibrantly to this new awareness.
Quite simply, there are three reasons as to how and why imagery and imagination (the beginning of all artistic manifestations) are healing:
1) Our bodies do not discriminate between sensory images of the mind and what it is that we call reality.
2) In the altered state of creating imagery or imagining in our minds, we are capable of more rapid and intense healing, growth, learning, and change.
3) We feel better about ourselves when we have a sense of mastery over what is happening to us. There is a feeling of control.
Ultimately, art making is a language unto itself, helping us say the things that we don’t have words for, working through difficult experiences and making sense of them, and connecting us to a higher place of awareness. This way of working with images has been prominent for humans throughout history. Mask making, ritual pottery and objects, costumes, cave drawings, hieroglyphics – all are visual records of self-expression and communication through art. Art has long been associated with spiritual connectedness. Artistic forms such as Hindu and Buddhist Mandala paintings, Native American sand painting, Christian iconographic images, and Australian dreamtime paintings, have always been powerful expressions of meditation, prayer, and healing.
The beauty of using art as a means of healing expression, is that one does not have to be an accomplished artist or knowledgeable of art media. The focus of this form of art making is on the process, not the product. Through the activity of making art, an individual is able to gain insight into one’s inner self and uninhibitedly explore untapped feelings. The finished product is a two or three-dimensional record of the individual’s insights, feelings, and perceptions. It can be touched, looked at, and shared with others. The benefit of working with images is that one is less likely to censor oneself. We’re accustomed to using words to communicate and more adept at filtering out information that is more challenging or threatening. With art, however, a slip of the brush is more likely to reveal unspoken thoughts and feelings – the results can be surprising, and the discoveries that the art provides can be illuminating!
Expressive art is a wonderful and gentle means of connecting to and uncovering challenging and repressed emotions that have been a factor in the development of chronic illness. Releasing these feelings through the creative process relieves stressors from the immune system, clears the mind, and nourishes the soul, allowing the body to fight off disease and begin the healing process. It is an activity that can be explored by anyone, with talent or not, young or old. It is our birth-right to create our optimum health.
©Copyright 2007 Written by by Tanya Vallianos, MA, LPC, ATR All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish granted to GoodTherapy.org. The following article was solely written and edited by the author named above. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry. Click here to contact Tanya and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile
December 10th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
I love how research is confirming more and more the connection of the mind and body. It’s only when we see the two as completely intertwined that true healing can take place. I also really like how the author observes a lack of filtering when making art. I had never thought about it that way, but it is very true. A lot of times when making art, we just go where the process leads us rather than so strictly trying to lead the process as is common in traditional therapy.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I wonder how far imaging can go to heal us? Does it hold the possibility of healing terminal illnesses such as cancer? Or, better yet-ward it off before it starts? With being able to let go of tension, it would seem that many illnesses or dis-eases could get stopped before they had a chance to get off the ground.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:07 am
I wonder if such imagery has been shown to help children in hospital situations? As I’ve observed healthy children making art, I’ve seen wonderful transitions from nervous silliness, to seriousness, to a complete immersion into the process. It would make sense that art therapy could help ease the stress of being in a hospital environment, even if it does not totally remedy the situation. At the very least, it would be a way to teach a child from an early age the benefits of not holding in stress and dealing with stress in a constructive manner.