From Canvas to Calm: How Art Therapy Soothes the Mind

 


The realm of artistic pursuits offers a path into creative expression while simultaneously providing a soothing boost to those who suffer from depression and similar mental health issues. The power of emotional release in the form of painting, drawing, sculpting, or partaking in any style of art certainly shouldn’t be underestimated. 


Art therapy is an extensively researched topic with many varying styles that range from those concerning more common forms of art such as simply drawing, dancing, sketching and other similar activities to encourage emotional release to variants concerned mainly with more theoretical and philosophical approaches. These variants include Jungian art therapy, based on the theories of the famed Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, with significantly more focus on exploring deeper psychological aspects of the mind than the usual emotional-expression based art therapy most would be accustomed to. 


The use of art as a therapeutic form of mental health upkeep is not a new concept by any means, and its benefits are made exceptionally clear through close examination of its effects on clients. When combined with more traditional ‘talk therapy’, art therapy yields results in managing intense emotions, fostering a sense of self-awareness and self-worth, and lowering levels of individual stress and anxiety. Despite having once been utilised mainly in mental health institutions, art therapy is now used as a means to alleviate pain symptoms, diminish depression, stimulate mental function, and yield many more positive results in schools, shelters, nursing homes, and other such establishments.


The Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) is one of many large-scale mental health-focused organisations that utilises art therapy widely, including forms such as but not limited to: visual art, writing, music, and dance. Drawing on the widely published theories and studies regarding the use of art in triggering emotional release, SAMH involves participants of all ages in exploring and expressing their feelings, all while fostering their internal sense of creativity. 


The association, alongside many independent researchers, believes that art provides a visual form of communication between their clients and therapists, and that it is a method with applications to conditions outside of more common mental health issues, allowing participants to utilise art therapy as a means to communicate with therapists and counsellors who may guide them through traumatic life events and recovery from distress.


Art is a form of expression that has enriched cultures and lives of countless humans for millennia, and as knowledge of the field’s applications in enhancing both mental and physical wellbeing becomes more widespread, it can be expected that observers may soon witness a great number of innovations and upheavals in the world of psychotherapy.



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