Art Therapy

Art therapy is a non-verbal outlet for our inner thoughts and feelings. It has been recognized as an effective mind-body intervention by the National Institute of Health’s Office for Alternative Medicine. Across the country it is offered in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and pain centers as part of a patient’s treatment. It inspires our creativity and the creativity process helps us to reduce anxiety levels, build self-awareness, cope with emotional problems, and increase self-esteem. Art therapy integrates the fields of human development, visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the creative process, with models of counseling and psychotherapy.

Art therapy can provide valuable insights into a patient’s symptoms while helping them find an outlet for unbearable pain and stress management. From a very early age, we learn to draw and color and recognize how uplifting it is to create a drawing or paint a picture. Have you ever noticed that when you are drawing or creating art, the focus is entirely on that moment? This is one of the reasons art therapy is so successful in relieving stress and even getting a person’s mind away from physical pain. Art therapy helps us to focus on the present and express our emotions in a productive way. It can also help us understand our feelings better through what we have expressed in our art.