Art Therapy: When Words Fail
- Kalani Nikole
- Mar 10, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 19, 2019
“How are you?” An innocuous question for most. For someone dealing with mental illness, this simple question can induce a full-blown panic attack.
Many people with mental illness find it challenging to put their feelings into words and, even though therapy has been shown to be beneficial, they find the concept of talking to a stranger daunting, if not impossible. Art therapy provides tools to express oneself when words fail.
Gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional talk therapy, “Art therapy uses art media, the creative process and the resulting artwork as a therapeutic and healing process,” according to Art Therapy Credentials Board, Inc.
Dr. Feeby Wooden, a clinical psychologist in Oceanside, California, often uses art therapy in conjunction with talk therapy. She has found that art therapy “bypasses the left hemisphere and the left hemisphere gets stuck in explaining emotions by words.” Wooden continues, “One of the things that a lot of clients say is that they are afraid to “lose it” when they express themselves. And when they have this visual creation, they feel like they were able to express it but they also have control over it.”
Melissa Walker, an art therapist who works with service members at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, explains in a presentation on TedMed, “Art accesses the same sensory areas of the brain that encode trauma.” Many military members are coming back from deployments with emotional scars, not visible, but still very real and very debilitating. She continues, “...what seems to have the most impact is mask-making. Finally, these invisible wounds don't just have a name, they have a face.”
Wooden uses mask therapy to treat trauma and anger management issues. While holding a child-sized mask, she explains the process she takes her clients through. To begin, they decorate the outside of the mask to represent the face shown to the world. Then, “the inside of that mask is what their true self, their authentic self feels about all the things that they've experienced and have been a part of and then we do a grieving around that.”
Resources to Recover is a website that “helps families find resources and support for loved ones with mental health concerns.” In their article, Creativity and Recovery: The Mental Health Benefits of Art Therapy, they state “You don’t necessarily have to see a therapist in order to experience some of the therapeutic benefits of artistic expression.” While art therapists are able to direct you and help you interpret your art, there are also amazing benefits of doing art on your own as a way to increase your mental wellbeing.
For April Carlson, age 37, taking a painting class opened up a new world for her. Last year, she was drowning in grief after a tragic loss and knew she needed a way to process. She had always wanted to try painting and decided this was a good time to start. “I've always moved to creative outlets to deal with emotion,” Carlson stated. “So when I feel like I need to regroup or start over, I will try something new.”
“I always know how to express and share with words, but sometimes it's short or I don't feel like I can convey feeling right. With a painting, I can focus my color and my direction to show what I need or want. Painting helps me capture the emotion somewhere so I can observe it or just get it someplace else where I can't use it against myself.”
Creating art as a group builds community; this is especially beneficial for someone who struggles to connect with others. Carlson now teaches painting classes and her students range in age from 14 to 68. Her youngest student is the survivor of severe abuse that left a lasting impact. “She is very antisocial,” Carlson shared. However, she will participate in the painting class and engage with the other students. “She talks and shares and gets encouragement. Our oldest painter, Carol, will often sit with her and comment how much she likes what she is doing.” Carlson has noticed an increased confidence in her young pupil since she first started coming to class.
Art isn’t limited to painting or mask making. Raevyn Morrigan, a 43 year-old teacher living in Napa, California, uses cooking as her art form. “Cooking calms me with heat and smells and the redundancy of known movements.”
Other forms of artistic expression include writing, sculpting, dancing, singing, playing an instrument, making jewelry, knitting, sewing or even gardening. It is the process of creation, but you don’t need to walk away with a finished product to reap the benefits.
Goals will be different for each individual. For some, art therapy with a professional helps them process and find answers that have thus far been elusive, opening the doors to healing. Others, may have the tools to interpret their art on their own to reveal needed truths. For many, simply the process of creating will increase their emotional, mental and physical well being.
The key is to find a form of expression that works for you. Expressing yourself doesn’t have to be scary. Find a safe space and let your heart lead you. No matter the medium, the artistic process can help you learn how to express yourself effectively and give you the tools to answer that previously looming question: “How are you?”
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