Art Healz

LET ART HEAL

Anjali, a reputed NGO manager and a vivacious socialite, was experiencing high levels of stress. Taking advice from her husband, she sought the services of a counsellor. However, the sessions weren’t helping her much; till she began talking about her love for painting.

“I enjoyed painting, but I wasn’t good at it. Nobody understood what I drew, so I gave it up. Why waste time and money?” she told the counsellor. Educating her about the healing capacities inherent in art, the counsellor helped her resume painting. Within one week, Anjali’s fresh lease of life returned.

Art. The word conjures up images of colourful paintings, sculptures, and dancing figures. Despite the appeal, most of us let go of these images, telling ourselves that the field is only for the talented, or that we are too busy. However, the definition of ‘Art’ has nothing to do with being good at it or being regular. It’s just about being spontaneous. “My emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech”, said Vincent van Gogh, the well known Dutch painter.

Biological Foundation

The act of making art triggers internal activity that contributes to physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. It leads to production of feel good chemicals in our brain, thus contributing to mental health. Continuous practice of the same helps strengthen our immune system. Simply going to an art museum or looking through art books can also refresh the spirit and promote relaxation.

Research shows that physiological functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration slow when people are deeply involved in a creative activity. Hence, the soothing effect. It also provides an opportunity to exercise eyes and hands, improve eye-hand coordination, and stimulate neurological pathways from the brain to the hands.

Psychological Foundation

As said by Magdalena Abakanowicz, a contemporary polish sculptor, “Art does not solve problems but makes us aware of their existence. It opens our eyes to see and our brain to imagine.” Pent-up emotions operate outside our conscious awareness; hence, the best way of releasing them is art. By way of artistic symbols, it’s easier to let oneself go, and open up freely.

Sigmund Freud, Father of Psychology, propounded the concept of unconscious. It’s the part of our mind that stores childhood memories. While most of these are pleasant, negative experiences also form a part of the unconscious. Unless these are expressed appropriately, they begin to hamper our mental well being. One way of releasing them is displacement- venting on undeserving people e.g. scolding kids. Another is sublimation- converting them to socially appreciable pursuits e.g. art. Choice is ours.
Each of us is naturally endowed with at least one artistic capacity. Recognition and pursuit of the same can enrich our lives.

Rhythm is beneficial Our muscles, including the heart muscle, synchronize to the beat of music. For example, some classical music approximates the rhythm of the resting heart (70 beats per minute). This music can slow a heart that is beating too fast.

It can be as simple as someone listening to a CD. Specially selected music can be broadcasted into hospital rooms. A chit-chat revolving around the lyrics of a song can be relaxing. Dance the most fundamental of the arts, involves direct expression through the body. Thus, it is an intimate and powerful medium for self-expression.

Play with words Poetry therapy and bibliotherapy are terms used synonymously to describe the intentional use of poetry and other forms of literature for healing and personal growth. Expressing through the use of words, putting each of them in place, and reading them aloud can be an energizing experience.

Daydream colourfully. To most of us, dreams occur naturally. However, intentional dreaming has additional benefits. Imagery involves mental exercises designed to stimulate the mind and influence the health and well-being of the body. It uses visualization techniques to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as manage pain, lower blood pressure, and ease some of the side effects of chemotherapy.

There are many different imagery techniques. One popular method is called palming, which involves placing the palms of our hands over our eyes and first imagining a colour we associate with anxiety or stress (such as red), then imagining a colour we associate with relaxation or calmness (such as blue). Visualizing a calming colour leads to relaxation.

Another common imagery technique is known as guided imagery. It involves visualizing a specific image or goal to be achieved and then imagining ourselves achieving that goal. Athletes often use this technique to improve their performance.

Act it out. Drama therapy is an active approach that helps one tell his or her story to solve a problem, achieve a catharsis, extend the depth and breadth of inner experience, understand the meaning of images, and strengthen the ability to observe personal roles while increasing flexibility between roles.

To pick an example from Bollywood, as Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan exchanged roles of father and son in the movie ‘Waqt’, many pent up thoughts got revealed, eventually leading to strengthening of their bond.

Finally

W.H. Auden, the renowned poet, said, “In the desert of the heart, let the healing fountain start.” We can easily back on our inner sources to give us strength. So, let’s become our own counsellors by taking to art. Coming to the quality of work, no doubt, a superior work has better chances of lifting the person's mood and self-esteem. But, it doesn’t mean that a normal work of art has no benefits. It’s the act of creating that is important, not the final product. After all, what Anjali needed was simply an encouragement to take up painting again. To quote Henry Moore, a British sculptor’s words, “There's no retirement for an artist, it's your way of living so there's no end to it. So gurlz, just pick up that brush, or switch on your music system, and let yourself go…!

Side Bar
Art Therapy – A New Field

Over one hundred years ago, a number of European writers described the spontaneous art done by patients in mental hospitals. This seemingly irrepressible urge to make art out of any available materials confirms the compelling power of artistic expression to reveal inner experience. It was because art making provided a means of expression for those who were often uncommunicative that art therapy came to be developed as one of the helping professions.

Margaret Naumburg is considered its founder. An educator and psychotherapist who started the Walden School in New York City, Naumburg wrote several books on art therapy and its applications with psychiatric patients in the 1940s and 1950s. Her sister Florence Cane modified principles from art education for use with children. At the same time, some conscientious artists were volunteers in mental hospitals. They eventually convinced psychiatrists of the contributions art therapy could make to the treatment of the most difficult patients. Art Therapy can be an individual activity but is often used very successfully in group situations. Child psychologists often use art therapy because children have a hard time putting feelings into words.

At some point in our lives, we might find ourselves overwhelmed by the intensity of our emotions which are difficult to face either by themselves or with others. Art therapy offers an opportunity to explore these intense or painful thoughts and feelings in a supportive environment. It involves using a wide variety of art materials, for example paints, clay and batik, to create a visual representation of thought and feelings.