Key Benefits of Art Therapy

In a world of cut throat competition, we sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture and get caught up in the flow. Unless and until you have some positive way of releasing the emotions building up inside you, you may hit a dead end for creativity and motivation, and end up listless at a young age. Art can be one way of overcoming this mental exhaustion.

Creating art and reflecting on the created art, can help a person cope with stress and trauma, and lead to an overall improvement in his personality and his quality of life. It's a great way of facing your weaknesses and fears in a positive way and overcoming them, and also a wonderful way of developing insight into the deeper recesses of your mind.

It can help in resolving inner conflicts, building self esteem and improving behavior through therapy. Some famous artists like Vincent van Gogh and Frieda Kahlo used their art to get over depressing incidents in their lives.

Definition of Art Therapy: According to The American Art Therapy Association, "Art Therapy is the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development...

...Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others, cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilities; and enjoy the life affirming pleasures of making art."

Art therapy is extensively used to treat patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), people who have suffered emotional, mental or physical abuse at any point in their lives, depression, etc. It helps you participate actively in shedding your emotional baggage, instead of waiting for time to heal you.

It helps you recognize and positively resolve the conflicts within yourself that you may not even have been aware of. For those who wish to grow emotionally, art therapy helps to gain insight into oneself, and come to terms with aspects of one's personality that one may or may not like to face. It helps children as well as adults.

Socially challenged or painfully shy people are afraid to go out in public, thinking they are the only ones suffering from an embarrassing condition. For them, joining a group therapy session helps to remove this feeling of isolation. They can interact with other people with similar conditions, and get out of their self imposed social shells.

Art has proven to be a medium of communication between the two hemispheres of the brain which are usually independent. The right hemisphere controls memories, while the left hemisphere controls verbal abilities. So it may be difficult for a person to express his traumatic memories through words, in which case art comes to the rescue.

The art produced by someone who has been through a trauma, illness or an accident that has left them with a disability, gives us a peek into the working of their brain and an idea about their point of view. This can go a long way in understanding their mental blocks. Imagery is not always efficient, it is helpful in starting off in the right direction.

The main physical benefit of art therapy is reduction in stress and an overall rise in the general feeling of activeness. As discussed in social benefits, it helps extremely shy people get over their shyness and makes their body language more confident and positive, like subtle changes in the style of walking, posture, etc.

It has also proven beneficial in reducing blood pressure and anxiety, and improving immunity. It is also used to reduce pain and treat depression without using the traditional counseling techniques.

There is absolutely no harm in trying your hand at painting or sketching just for fun. Who knows, you may come across a part of yourself you were not aware of before, and love it! It can certainly add a new dimension to your personality... Definitely worth a shot huh?