Collaboration

A few weeks ago, I received an interesting e-mail from a blogger with a direct and personal appreciation for art therapy and the many ways it can (and does) help so many people all over the world. He described himself as working in affiliation with a California-based medical center with an extensive art therapy program and he sent me the following article that I thought you might find interesting:

"HS Corona Regional Medical Center: How we all can benefit from creativity

There are many reasons that art therapy is both widely used and almost universally heralded and that is simply that everyone, no matter their mental, physical, or behavioral health, can be creative in one way or another.

This incredible versatility and accessibility makes art therapy a viable tool for anyone who chooses it as a way to health or well being. Expressing yourself, your thoughts, or feelings through creativity can often be a far less daunting prospect for those that have difficulty putting words to those emotions, particularly children who may not yet even possess the language skills to express what they are experiencing.

Whether painting, molding, drawing, dancing, or coloring, art therapy enables people to face and eventually overcome their difficulties while allowing them to feel very much in control of their feelings and ability to let them out. It also has the benefit of letting people explore themselves in a non threatening manner, often bringing to light issues long buried or unconsciously ignored.

Art therapy is not just for those suffering mental or behavioral health issues. It can also be an incredibly useful tool for those with physical disabilities. The creative process, regardless of the medium used, can help strengthen the physical body through hand-eye coordination and a better sense of body awareness. When used in conjunction with other methods of physical therapy patients are given more tools and more avenues to increase their physical control over their body and body movements. Depending on the individual situation, muscle strength, balance, and coordination can be vastly improved.

Art is an exciting and effective method of therapy for a host of different circumstances which is one of the reasons that it remains so popular and so productive. The creative process can be tailored fit almost any environment or individual regardless of physical or mental struggle.

It is truly a universal therapy as we humans are intrinsically creative even if we are unaware of it. Art therapy simply draws on this fact by not requiring the participant to consciously “become” creative in order to experience its benefits."