Arts and creative therapies
Let’s start right at the beginning: What are art and creative therapies? In its simplest definition, it’s a practise of expressing yourself through art-based activities, through a creative process to help improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being.
There are few misconceptions when it comes to art therapy; people do not have to have been artists or even good at art to benefit from this process. The goal of art and creative therapy is not to teach art but to use art-based activities in a therapeutic manner to get people to open up and engage with therapy in new ways.
If you want a more formal definition of it, The American Art Therapy Association defines it as an approach to mental health which “enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.”
How does it work?
In art and creative therapy sessions, you can use a number of creative methods including painting, drawing, finger painting, sculpting, carving, scribbling and collages. This process of self-discovery takes part under the guidance of a skilled therapist and this allows the participant, young or elderly, to express their feelings and feel more in control of their lives.
The highly qualifies and skilled professionals in this form of psychotherapy are practitioners in both art and therapy, and help to unpack the nonverbal symbols and metaphors that are expressed through the artwork which are usually difficult to express with words. Exploring the objects, people, images that do and do not appear to help unearth the individual's conscious or subconscious thoughts and emotions.
Arts and creativity can play a vital role in improving people’s health as well as preserving health.
Increased well-being and healing
According to the Health Evidence Network report by WHO, arts engagement can enhance multidimensional subjective well-being, such as our positive emotions in our daily lives, our life satisfaction and our sense of meaning, control, autonomy and purpose in our lives.
Engaging in creative projects often makes us happy, provides a “high” and often accompanied by contentment and jubilation. When we finish doing a creative project, our mind is invigorated with hope in our day-to-day life which can be central to subduing the negative voices in our heads. Creative activity is considered for healing complicated and unresolved feelings as it provides visual medium to express thoughts we find difficult to put into words.
Preventing chronic health conditions
Studies have shown that art and creative activities are known to reduce stress and depression and alleviate the burden of chronic health conditions. Creative endeavours have also shown to reduce levels of cortisol and an enhancement of immune responses in the human body. According to the APPGA Creative Health report, An arts-on-prescription project has shown a 37% drop in GP consultation rates and a 27% reduction in hospital admissions.
Increased brain strength and resilience
Research in music therapy is shown to boost brain functions such as improved concentration, memory and better connectivity between left and right hemispheres of the brain.
According to NCBI research, in children and young people aged between 11 and 18 years, participating in arts activities can have a positive effect on self-confidence, self-esteem, relationship building and a sense of belonging, qualities which have been associated with resilience and mental wellbeing.
What is mettlepods?
mettlepods is harnessing the power of creativity and behavioural therapy to help transform health and wellbeing.
Our 6-week framework for dealing with Stress and Anxiety brings together life enriching bursts of creative activities and access to one-on-one live therapy with a team of art therapists, CBT therapists and coaches.
The time is now to put yourself first with mettlepods. Register to receive a sample of our 6-week programme for Anxiety here.