Melissa's Blog

Source: pixabay.com

Among the most daunting tasks in handling mental and emotional health problems is finding a suitable therapy. Art therapy is a universal type of treatment that centers on providing art materials and media to people and encouraging them to produce a ‘work of art’ from these materials. “The patient uses and makes art as a way to convey feelings at that moment or about a particular experience or situation,” says Wayne Jonas, MD, author of How Healing Works. In this way, they are utilizing art to effectively deal with their emotions and resolve their issues. “In addition to being used for treating psychological and medical conditions, art therapy has been shown to produce general benefit by reducing everyday stress and increasing self-esteem and quality of life,” Dr. Jonas added. Psychologists recommend this method since it is calming yet stimulating. It doesn’t only include creative art but also movement, like dancing.

Therapists And Who They Heal Using Art

Certified therapists administer the therapy. They have a master’s degree and have taken psychology and art courses before they are allowed to practice art therapy.

Who benefits from art therapy? Anyone who seeks help is welcome, but strictly speaking, it caters to individuals from several age groups. The right side of the brain is physiologically designated for art, and it is where visual memories are collected and saved. This means that those who have less than average language skills can use images to convey their fears and other emotions. Executives and company owners hire art therapists to help their staff handle intensely stressful tasks. Drug and alcohol addicts, those with eating disorders, children with learning abnormalities, and individuals who are suffering from chronic and debilitating pain can also benefit from art therapy.

How It Works

Art surpasses the requirement for language, which is why even young children can communicate their issues through art with the help and guidance of a therapist. It is somehow done similarly with play therapy. It utilizes various colors, strokes, shapes, and different lines and with certain techniques, it can enable patients to dig deep into their selves and attempt to draw their dreams, fears, happiness, and goals in life.

“So while art expression may bring about a sense of wellness in some sense, it’s the relational aspects that are at the center of reparation and recovery through well-targeted interventions– this is what defines and differientiates ‘art therapy’,” art therapist Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT explains. Currently, art therapists are guided by three primary strategies, which depends on their clients’ capacity to comprehend.

Source: af.mil

1. Gestalt Art. The patient uses art in combination with language to unravel how his environment and the world looks like in his own perceptive. He uses this to find solutions to his problems.

2. Active Imagination. The client/patient is encouraged to create art and then associate his work by thinking freely about how it means. He is allowed to express this through words or images.

3. Third Hand. Here, the patient is being assisted by the therapist in creating art through images and the use of media. This type not only practices the patient’s creative mind but also fosters a harmonious working relationship with his therapist, producing a better outcome.

Other indications of art therapy are chronic pain, which is often a manifestation of patients who have psychological, physical, and social problems. The physical issues may be causing the pain, but the level of the pain and how it can be treated are subjective. Using art therapy helps patients make adjustments to her behavior and emotions to enable her to manage her pain. Art therapy is also indicated for people who have drug or alcohol abuse.

How It Works On Children

• It provides a ground for children to learn self-expression of feelings and emotions
• It promotes personal freedom and self-reliance
• It enables a child to work on her difficulties capably
• It infuses constructive strategies that help them learn self-management
• It improves a child’s hand to eye coordination, finger dexterity, and fine and gross motor skills
• It helps strengthen a child’s ability to explore, seek solutions, and be inspired by their experiences and of others’
• It empowers a child to have a voice and help others in therapy as well

Conclusion

Research and studies have proven how useful art therapy has been in helping children as well as adults to improve communication, concentration, behavioral patterns, and relationships. Art therapy has also successfully helped a lot of patients decrease their mood swings, promote relaxation, and cultivate a positive attitude.

Source: flickr.com

Our children can prosper on their capacity to communicate verbally or non-verbally freely. They are empowered when they are capable of expressing their worries, anxiety, and challenges in a non-invasive session.

“Children are more readily inclined to express themselves visually than verbally as visual language is an inherent part of our human expression and children are naturally creative and artistic,” wrote art therapist Rachela Buonincontri, BA, MC, AT, CCC. Hence, “Thoughts and feelings that may otherwise be difficult to express find a cognitive-linguistic voice through the visual arts.”

Art therapy encompasses talk therapy in that the former offers an excellent way for all people who want to heal a chance to verbally and non-verbally express their outlook in life.

People know art since the Stone Age. It is a fun activity that dwells in creativity and imagination. It takes an individual into a different level of satisfaction and self-awareness. As time goes by, it grows one of the fundamentals of overall development due to its effects in physical, emotional, and mental aspects. Aside from that, results show that creating art also impacts other person’s overall well-being as well. Australian psychologist Rob Gray says, “As a psychologist and art therapist, I often find that clients open up vocally after drawing.” He adds, “I would like to use the well-known metaphor of an iceberg to describe the two major aspects of human personality. The tip of the iceberg that extends above the water represents the conscious mind. Beneath the water is the much larger bulk of the iceberg, which represents the unconscious. Words come easier to clients’ minds and unconscious material pours quickly to the surface once they start describing their images.” But how is that possible?

Source: pixnio.com

Benefits Of Art

Stress Reliever

Various research and studies show that art has the potential to decrease mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. It can improve an individual’s creative thinking as well. But in most cases, art is considerably useful in stress relief. Creating visual art promotes “relaxation response” due to the rhythmic painting or drawing procedure which improves synchronization between the body and brain.

Dr. Girija Kaimal, Ed.D., M.A., ATR-BC, found out that “45 minutes of creative activity significantly lessens stress in the body, regardless of artistic experience or talent.” The process of working a masterpiece leads to a meditative-like state where a person only focuses and pay attention to what he is currently doing. The overall sensation brings a decrease in blood pressure and induces a low level of hormones called cortisol – a biomarker of stress.

Headache Reliever

Overactivity, dysfunction, and pain-sensitive structures in the brain cause primary headache. It includes tensions in the muscles of the head and neck areas. Since art creation promotes a relaxed state, it supports the muscles in the body and brain to go back to the unbound state. Therefore, the whole process averts headaches and often relieves it. Though there are times that severe pain can sometimes instantly trigger, medication along with art therapy can help reduce or fight some unwanted symptoms. But take note, before trying any medication, it is safe and better to consult a professional health expert as usual.

Source: freepik.com

Aids Anxiety

A person’s involvement in art creation allows him to look and pay attention to details. It is a good thing because it distracts the individual on other worries and thoughts that might harm his mental state. Because when a person’s attention shifted from another, the nervous system begins to regulate. With that, he starts to have access with his emotion, compassion, and empathy. Therefore, we can conclude that art helps in controlling emotional conditions as well. It aids in processing issues quickly. With its help in emotional stabilization, it provides a calming effect for anxiety and panic attacks.

Elizabeth Scott, M.S., writes, “…art therapy, coloring mandalas, and drawing in general can minimize anxiety and combat negative mood.” She adds, “Most of the studies have people drawing or coloring for about 20 minutes, so it’s really not necessary to be a gifted or serious artist for this stress reliever to be helpful; no artistic ability is required.”

Boosts Happiness

Indulging and creating art does not only aids mental illness but also increase the average amount of happiness in a person. Therefore, it is harmless to conclude that when an individual engages himself into artistic things; it allows him to become more appreciative with his potentials. Since art doesn’t necessarily rely on any specific talent, it becomes a great way to create an expression. By that, a person can show and represent his thoughts through the fulfillment of his masterpiece. The whole process boosts happiness because it supports physical skills, mental focus, and emotional attachment to one’s project.  There’s the help of regaining an individual’s sense of emotional control.

Source: defense.gov

Neuroplasticity

The scientific name refers to the functioning neurons of the brain. It aims to describe the potential that the brain contains to create neural pathways in response to different types of learning. Since there’s a substantial brain activity going on when an artist is at work, there’s a concrete sending of electrical and chemical signals out to the functioning organs. The message then attempts to create a response so it can express itself through a body movement. With that, the frequent discharge of neurotransmitters tends to support specific neural connections of the brain to become stronger. With this process, neural improvement leads to positive effects. These include enhanced cognitive skills, healthy brain functions, and the ability to focus.

Final Thought

With this valuable information, we can see that there are scientifical benefits to art. It is an excellent outlet for emotional and mental release. It is an impressive way to practice and learn positive coping skills that support mental health. It promotes self-awareness and discovery. It encourages relaxation as well as stress management process. Art is an essential thing that can make a person removes his worries out of his head and transforms it into healthy and beneficial ideas.

There are times when an individual has a mental illness is not aware of it. He sometimes assumes that his condition is only stress-associated. He somehow doesn’t even bother to consider seeking professional help. Not only does he believe asking for an expert’s advice is a waste of money; a person often feels they can handle their psychological state on their own. But some are dedicated enough to consider online therapy for that matter.

Online therapy is something that takes away the stigma of asking for mental health advice. Since it is easy, accessible, and affordable, it becomes part of the system that caters to the individuals’ psychological evaluation. There are a lot of types to choose from that fits every person’s needs. And that includes the utilization of art which supports the achievement of mental health wellness.

Source: pixabay.com

Art Therapy

The process of art therapy breaks the mold of treatment because it doesn’t require answering specific questions. It is a cheap and safe alternative to cope and recover from a significant mental health condition. That’s because it doesn’t compromise physiological health factors. It comes in many forms and all of which appears to have a role in different situations.

According to Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT, “Art, music, dance, drama, and poetry therapies are referred to as ‘creative arts therapies’ because of their roots in the arts and theories of creativity.” “Expressive arts therapies are defined as the use of art, music, drama, dance/movement, poetry/creative writing, bibliotherapy, play, and sandplay within the context of psychotherapy, counseling, rehabilitation, or medicine.”

Types Of Art Therapy

Theatre

According to Michael Karson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Denver, “Theater refers to communication that is shown rather than told to the therapist. It’s often a form of projective identification, where the patient shows the therapist what they’re feeling by getting the therapist to feel it instead.”

There’s an improvised game in theatrical therapy that allows the therapist to have a better understanding of what their patients are experiencing. The process supports the expression of more than one underlying issues hidden within the patient’s subconscious. It helps in venting out emotions so a person can act happy and start to feel better throughout a course of time. Since theatrical therapy allows a person to communicate and interact with other individuals, it creates a friendly atmosphere that supports better social engagement.

Source: wikimedia.org

Dance

Dance therapy works similarly to exercise. It allows a bodily movement that supports the proper circulation of the blood and boosts brain development. The process of free-style dancing aids the therapist to analyze and evaluate the patient’s subconscious through his physical movements. It becomes useful in venting out or telling a story of life experiences and struggles. There are specific dancing styles that shape a person’s mind to assist in mental health stability.

Music

“Music therapy is a well-recognized clinical intervention that uses music within a therapeutic process to assist the patient in identifying and dealing with social, cognitive, emotional, or physical concerns,” wrote Wayne Jonas, M.D.

Musical therapy is one the advantageous type of art therapy. It gets broken down to three particular ways such as listening, performing, and creating. But while it helps in aiding mental health issues, it is important to note that different genres affect various people and their conditions as well. Listening to certain classical and slow music can become useful for other individuals, but it doesn’t guarantee to work the same to others. Therefore, there should be a collection of information on what type of genre best fits an individual. Creating, on the other hand, allows a person to express himself with the use of his emotions. It doesn’t necessarily require him to have potential in the specific type of art. As long as he can manage to share his stories through his creation, it is already enough. Lastly, performing is a beautiful activity that guarantees stress relief. It boosts self-confidence, and it allows comfortability in one’s self.

Visual Art

Visual art takes a broad category due to its different kinds of medium. These include sketching, writing, painting, and sculpting. With the help of these particular visual art creations, the therapist can assist an individual’s subconscious by going through an analysis. The patient’s production along with its specific shapes and colors reveals a lot about him. From there, it becomes identifiable as to how his mental health can proceed to recovery from such degenerative issues. Visual art supports less stressful procedure of mental health treatment. That’s the reason why it is often one of the best ways that get administered by an online therapist.

Source: pexels.com

Art therapy can be different for a lot of people. Aside from its focus to support self-realization, it also allows a buildup of skills in communication. It helps in better development of emotions and memory. Since it ranges from theatre, music, dancing, and visual arts, it can sustain the different needs of every individual that has a common goal of mental health recovery. There are no known adverse side-effects to art therapy, so it is a beautiful way to uncover the underlying issues of an individual’s subconscious.

There are a lot of twisted structures, washed colors, slow motions, and some other part of most rhetorical resources that are commonly used by some painters, filmmakers, writers, and artist in general. It is where they try to express mental conditions in a different way. These resources aim to interpret what it feels like to have a disorder. In art, the portrayal does not only focus on a specification but rather count every detail as a whole.

The Paintings

Most people with several mental conditions don’t usually understand a painting at one glance. Viewers are not aware that the masterpieces carry the message of pain. Edvard Munch created one of the most controversial pieces called “The Scream” in an attempt to explain and express the condition of having shattered nerves. It becomes one of the most significant paintings in the history of expressionism. It is where Munch describe his feelings are terrifying and unexplainable. That the place he once visited seems to be extraordinarily depressing that he had to put in into a visual representation. The Scream affects both literature and film. That is why near in the mid-twentieth century, a writer named Virginia Woolf also attempted to express her struggle with severe depression. The writer, unfortunately, can’t snap out from the mental condition, and eventually committed suicide. However, even though Woolf is dead, her effort in finishing the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” is worth it even though she’s battling with mental illness. The novel became a resource for the movie “The Hours” in 2002.

Source: wikimedia.org

Nevertheless, art becomes a useful medium of expression to those people who can’t express themselves. It’s not that they don’t want to, but some of them are comfortable in creating a different communicative language such as painting.  That is because creating art seems to address most mental conditions that’s why it becomes a highly important part of significant psychological treatment. Let’s say for example the masterpiece of Van Gogh. The painter gets diagnosed with manic-depression. It somehow hinders him to represent his condition through painting. But even though that’s the case, Gogh still managed to create valuable other masterpieces while he was interned in an asylum at Saint Paul’s. He was able to resume better mental health through painting where he comfortable finds solace.

The Movies

“Cinema therapy can be a powerful catalyst for healing and growth for anybody who is open to learning how movies affect us and to watching certain films with conscious awareness,” shared Birgit Wolz, PhD, MFT, a cinema therapy group facilitator. “Cinema therapy allows us to use the effect of imagery, plot, music, etc. in films on our psyche for insight, inspiration, emotional release or relief and natural change.”

The writer Virginia Woolf suffered from a condition that was unknown back then. Fortunately, critics nowadays recognize the mental state as bipolar disorder. In the film, the other two characters are also dealing with the same psychological health issues. It was transmitted to the movie as Virginia writes the plot. The story from the novel appears beautifully portrayed through visual metaphoric representation. Since mental disorders are mostly entitled to stimulating expression of creativity, it leads to a surreal portrayal and imagery. However, a lot of times, mentally ill people seem wrongly represented in films. Usually, they are always violent, and that becomes a generalized depiction of all the majority of patients under such conditions.

Source: flickr.com

In the movie “Science Of Lambs” for example, there’s a portrayal of a volatile man who happens to be extremely violent due to schizophrenia. It contains almost the same plot as the movie “Psycho” and “Halloween” as well. With these portrayals, the National Institute of Mental health stated that schizophrenic people do not commit the most violent actions.

Another movie inspired by real people and a real case of mental disorder is “Frida.” Frida Khalo’s diagnosis with depression is a minor case. However, Frida suffered from two major depressive episodes that push her to attempt multiple suicides during her lifetime. The termination of all three of her pregnancy caused a significant amount of grief. Aside from that, Frida’s depression becomes consistent due to her stormy marriage. All of the details of her struggle are visible in her paintings as well.

The Books

“Books are an invaluable but underutilized resource that can increase empathy, enhance recovery and inspire those with mental health difficulties. As such, reading should be encouraged for everybody, but particularly those with mental illness—whether through formal bibliotherapy groups or individual prompting from family, friends or clinicians,” revealed Rob Whitley, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and a principal investigator of the Social Psychiatry Research and Interest Group (SPRING) at the Douglas Hospital Research Center.

Robert Loius Stevenson caught a patient with split-personality disorder. It was his inspiration in developing the novella of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hide. The story impacts a lot of people because of the different moral character that handles one situation towards the other. The novella becomes an interpretation of the best examples of the duality of human nature. It develops into the expression of the inner struggle between the good and evil usually seen in human and animal comparison.

Source: wikimedia.org

It is common to assume that people’s emotion interferes with rational thinking. That’s perhaps the reason why there is always a discussion about how art cannot become “art” without feelings. And along with this condition, the domain of psychological explanation explains the purpose of artistic expression. “Creativity of all types is a premier form of psychological adaptation, the effect of a healthy muse, because it involves the ability to change and improve all features of the environment,” wrote Albert Rothenberg, MD.

With the paintings, books, and movie portrayals, one is sure on them all. It is the mental condition of people that put a ton of turn of phrase in every masterpiece that seems very important for diagnosis and treatment as of today.

Just last week, I read a classic novel by a favorite author of mine, and this was about someone who experienced a mental disorder. I got into profound contemplation about how mental illness has been part of the olden times, and how the arts have played a role in recovery.

The novel was a masterpiece, the author sharing insights about life, love, and death. It also featured an artist, much like the popular icons Vincent Van Gogh and Virginia Woolf, who lived with a chronic illness but kept on because of his creativity.

Source: theliterarygiftcompany.com

Indeed, science has discovered much connection between creative arts and mental illness recovery. Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Schumann were thought to be mentally ill but continuously lived and worked their way towards success through their creations. These three famed artists, amidst their complex minds, created beautiful poems, music, and stories.

Berit Brogaard, D.M.Sci., Ph.D., says that this connection may be because, “[f]irst, depressed people have more negative emotions to express in artistic ways than people who are not depressed; and second, owing to their difficulties processing affect, artistic expression is one of the only ways for them to deal with these emotions.”

How They Differ – And How They Are The Same

The diagnoses of psychiatric disorders long ago were not supported so much by clinical evidence but from the artists’ biographies that showed physical, emotional and mental abnormalities. These were also proven through pathography, wherein psychological and literary analysts explained the relationship of the artists’ psychological and pathological aspects. Others were also found to have above average or excellent scores in their writing or art classes.

Source: pixabay.com

I was a bit confused with the findings but I did agree that there was something similar about mental disorder and creativity – and it was how these two deviated from the normal ways of thought. Someone with a mental illness did not think and behave normally, to be creative is to do something that is extraordinary. However, the effects of not being normal differed. For mental illness, it was depression, panic, and delusions. For being creative, it was beautiful poems and stories, magnificent paintings, and award-winning music. A finding once showed that intense euphoria and productivity are both characters of bipolar disorder and creative work.

Susan Biali Haas, M.D., explains, “…though creatives experience higher rates of mood disorders than the general population, the extremes of highs and lows tend to be brief, balanced by long periods of normal affect, or euthymia. During these respite periods, creatives frequently reflect upon and draw from memories and experiences of their darker times to create their best art.”

The number of mentally ill artists who flourished in their field of art should instill hope to those who have mental health issues, but not the urge to resist treatment. The list of ill creators included Jane Austen, Anton Chekhov, Sigrid Undset, Sebastian Bach, George Elliot, John Million, and last but not the least, William Shakespeare.

Yes, Shakespeare’s in the list, and here’s the catch question: Was Shakespeare depressed, considering the words he wrote from Hamlet? Perhaps he was – or not.

With this Cathy Malchiodi, Ph.D., LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT, urges people to “…make a resolution to stop the pathology-driven analysis of the art of artists who happen to have mental illness. Instead, let’s celebrate artists who have struggled, for whatever reason including physical health, addictions, mental illness, socioeconomics, culture, or gender by instead reflecting on the power of the art they have created and meaning of creativity in their lives.”

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Final Thoughts

I guess I am elaborating on this book that I read and re-read because I want to emphasize the importance of seeking the help of a mental health professional if you have been diagnosed with a mental illness. No doubt, creative art is among the most effective therapies, but only in conjunction with counseling and the proper treatment plan that has been carefully examined and prepared for you.

There are a variety of therapies for the mentally ill, and art therapy is only one of them. Ask a psychiatrist or a therapist about these and get the help you need.

Do you constantly feel sad about something in your life? Are you feeling down most of the time because of reasons that you could not identify? Is it your goal to improve your life to something better? If you answered yes to all these questions, then consider yourself lucky because you came to the right article. In this write-up, some of our expert writers are going to discuss how a woman like you can have an improved mental wellness. Here are the ideas to keep in mind:

Source: pixabay.com

  Continue Reading

Source: johneaves.files.wordpress.com

Hollywood’s fascination with mental health issues is depicted at the end of the spectrum. Mentally ill individuals are often categorized as individuals who are murderers or a lonely but lovable guy who needs a love of a good woman to make the blues and addiction go away. Movies do not always give the real-life depiction of mental illnesses because after all, in general, these issues are annoying.  Who would want to invest in a story plot with countless therapy sessions, long hours spent sleeping and doing nothing and endless trial and error on medications? Cinema is vital in shaping the societal perception and awareness of the world around us; however, it can also bring exciting information and inaccurate characterization to draw controversy and publicity to the story which might lead to profit.

Source: hifilmcriticssociety.org

People are fond of scaring themselves and what is scarier than monsters, the idea that ordinary people around us are capable of doing heinous crimes without any apparent motivations; thus, the prolific releases of suspense thrillers with serial killers’ plot. One of the most iconic films with a serial killer as the central theme is the movie, “Psycho.” Psycho was released in 1960. It is a Phoenix office clerk named Marion Crane who is tired of her life. Her dilemma is that she can’t marry her lover, Sam because most of his money is spent on alimony. One day, when Marion’s employer trusted her to bank 40, 000 dollars, she took the chance to embezzle the funds to start a new life. While driving to Sam’s store, she got lost and decided to stay in a motel. A motel is run by a depressed manager, Norman Bates who is also a serial killer with multiple personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a severe condition wherein a person’s identity is fragmented into two or more personality states or distinct characters which alternately controls an individual.

“DID is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process that produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of their identity. This ranges from temporary amnesia to complex alternate identities,” said Dr. Ilene S. Cohen, PhD.

Dr. Phil Mollon, PhD, from the British Pyschoanalytical Society added, “[T]o the observer, the DID patient seems to have several ‘people’ living within one body, each with different personalities, memories, life histories, ages and even gender. Occasionally, these ‘alters’ have no
knowledge of one another despite their close proximity, with each living under the illusion that they are the sole personality.”

Some individuals describe the disorder as an experience similar to possession. According to Arnold Lieber, MD, DID was first discovered in 1880. It was then called “hystero-epilepsy.” “The symptoms when the disease was first discovered were contortions, convulsions, fainting, and impaired consciousness,” Lieber said further.

Some individuals describe the disorder as an experience similar to possession. Despite the movie Psycho being released before the modern classifications of the disorder, the director, Hitchcock did showcase the classical symptoms and elements in the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder.

Source:  i.pinimg.com

DID stems out from traumatic events or childhood. It is believed by experts as some coping mechanism of the psyche: considering that the traumatic events happened to someone else. The psychiatrist in the movie pointed out two events in Norman Bates’ life: the death of his father and committing matricide. Another symptom displayed as DID in the movie is social impairment. He lived in isolation and didn’t mainly have any friends or a reliable support system. Also, his illness showed a disturbance in the day to day life; however, one aspect of Mr. Bates that doesn’t fit the DID diagnosis is having conversations with his mother, which more appropriate to be classified as hallucinations or delusions which is often seen in schizophrenia patients. In the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V), it states that there are recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, relevant personal information and traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting. Through this movie, the general public is made aware of rare mental illnesses. It is also essential to learn more about this condition and dispel misconceptions that having the disease will lead to being a serial killer.

The movie industry often has a bad reputation for creating biography movies. Oftentimes, the storyline is sensationalized to the point of deviance from reality. Majority of the producers’ concern is the number of the tickets sold justifying such acts as giving the public what they paid for.

In general, people watched movies to be entertained and to see something out of the ordinary or unusual. Mundane and routine theme stories aren’t so popular in the general arena. Despite these perceptions of the movie industry, mental health experts recognized the movie, “A Beautiful Mind” for creating awareness of schizophrenia to moviegoers and the society as a whole.

“Psychologists have often written about movies to make observation about different aspects of psychology—social behavior, psychological disorders, psychotherapy, etc.,” wrote Stephen “Skip” Dine Young, PhD. “The medium is vibrant, emotionally powerful and accessible.”

Source: takiruna.files.wordpress.com

“A Beautiful Mind” is an Oscar-winning film released in 2001. It depicted a brilliant mathematician named John Nash who was played by Russell Crowe.  Nash developed symptoms of schizophrenia when he was around 30 years old after he made significant contributions in the field of mathematics, an extension of game theory and math of decision making. As the disease progresses so does his symptoms, he had hallucinations and bizarre behaviors. Over the course of several decades, he was off and on anti-psychotic medications and in and out of hospitals. Later in his life, Nash claimed recovery from the disease without any medications. He attests these improvements to natural hormonal changes of aging.  Research, done before medications for schizophrenia was available, revealed that about 20 percent of schizophrenic patients recovered on their own while the remaining 80 percent did not. Latest studies show better prognosis in the management of Schizophrenia when accompanied with antipsychotic medications.

Source: thehigherlearning.com

Schizophrenia is a disturbance in thought processes further characterized by an inability to grasp reality accompanied by abnormal social behavior. The common symptoms identified with the condition are false beliefs, hearing or seeing things, decrease in social interaction, and emotional expression as well as lack of motivation.

“When non-normative experience is digested by an individual who is both creative and intelligent, a circumstance that is rare, the individual may emerge with a “beautiful mind” or an anomalous mind, at any rate, in terms of the fruition of new ideas,” wrote Ann Olson, PsyD. “However, it is a fact that thought may be useless when it is not associated with a genuine and strong respect for tradition, or the basic ideas and cultural climate from which and in which this thought emerges.”

According to studies, schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population. Oftentimes, individuals with schizophrenia have other mental disorder co-morbidity such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse disorders. The onset of the condition comes gradually beginning in young adulthood and may progress throughout one’s lifetime; however, there are also accounts of children with schizophrenia although considered as a rare occurrence. Despite many efforts to pinpoint the cause of the disorder, like any other mental illness, it is believed to be caused by numerous factors such as environmental living conditions, genetic predisposition, brain chemistry and structure, history of cannabis usage, certain infections, parental age and poor nutrition during pregnancy. The diagnosis of schizophrenia is based on observations on his behaviors, reported experiences of people around him and the patient’s personal experiences. There is no exact cause of the mental illness; the treatment goal is to focus on elimination of the symptoms of the disease.

Source: 78.media.tumblr.com

“Lack of awareness of negative symptoms […] is common in individuals with schizophrenia,” wrote Dawn I. Velligan, PhD, and Larry D. Alphs, PhD. “Patients and relatives are often unaware of the extent of these symptoms and seldom communicate them to the clinician.”

Enduring chronic disorders such Schizophrenia can be heartbreaking not only to the patient but also to the family. It can be debilitating and frustrating to the point of seeking assistance in doing simple daily tasks such as taking a bath or eating. Having awareness on these topics might encourage everyone to focus on their mental health.

Source: Pixabay.com

Art is the expression of one’s soul; any form of expression is therapeutic.

Whoever said art does not benefit the mind and the soul clearly doesn’t know how to create nor appreciate one. For art is a way to allow the brain to articulate the tragedies and victories of a person’s life. Granting creativity access to one’s being is like letting the rain wash away all the sorrowful and disappointing fragments of the day.

While others are not so convinced with the healthy perks of art, construed by the negative misconceptions and beliefs towards the discipline, there are numerous studies that support the thought of creativity as a form of therapy for various ages and genders.

“While some think the idea of “intervention” is not part of the art therapeutic relationship, intervention is the necessary specific, focused action that is taken to achieve or support change within any therapy of any kind,” Cathy Malchiodi, Ph.D., LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT, says. She explains further, “Applying interventions is a central component of any helping professional’s role and is predicated on the second aspect– relationship.”

Art is universal. The creativity of the mind is not merely contained by what others can perceive.

Art goes beyond the superficial factoids of a person’s emotions. It conveys multiple hidden elements about somebody that can only be revealed through a stroke of a brush; a strum of a note; sculpt of an angle; the eloquence of the mind. Which is why, if you really want to know someone hand them a piece of paper and a set of coloring materials or a musical instrument or whatever it is that a person prefers to let the creativity flow from the system.

Robert Gray, M.A. (Art Therapy), explains,”Images represent an alternative medium for expression and communication. Once experiences are externalised as images, it is easier to talk about them by describing the artwork or talking about the art-making process.”

Source: Unsplash.com

Art’s beneficial contributions

1. Reduction of stress

Any artistic activity is calming. It takes the mind off of the world for a period of time, blocking out any forms of stressors. Being exposed to aggravations and nuisances can bruise a person’s emotional well-being and drain the mental state to the point of losing all composure and just screaming all frustrations out to the void. Art can take you away from that dire moment of your life and just let you reconnect with yourself. This then promotes healing of the soul.

2. Boosts self-esteem

In life, there are things that you can’t win. And it’s quite frustrating that, no matter how hard you put your mind, body, and soul into something that you do, the outcome is still disappointing. But with art, there is a promise of creation, a bit of a struggle, and result. Art provides a sense of accomplishment which then boosts a person’s ego and self-worth.

Source: Pixabay.com

3. Increased concentration and motivation.

Creativity does not require skill or experience. However, in constant practice, a person can achieve improvement. Art is sometimes overwhelming for it does not pledge favorable conclusions; you may not like what you’ve made. Still, the person has gained something out of it. The process of creativity can increase a person’s focus, motivation, and ardor in performing different kinds of tasks.

4. Enhances innovative thinking

When engaging in art, designing things and writing a piece, part of the brain is triggered; that part that is not normally utilized for most of the day. By way of thinking creatively, you tap into the brain’s mechanism to produce chemicals that can spur and inspire innovation.

“One of the many therapeutic benefits of art, which is already considered one form of therapeutic treatment, is that it allows you to express yourself without speaking,” according to Constance Scharff, Ph.D. “When you’re not worried about using the right words or how others will judge what you’re saying, you are free to be more genuine in your expressions and even delve into feelings you may otherwise avoid or ignore.”

People who are adept at thinking creatively can easily suggest alternative solutions to various forms of predicaments within the workplace or in the community.

Source: Unsplash.com

5. Resilience to changes

The repercussions for the passing of time do not exclude anyone; therefore, it is the mind’s objective to adapt to the changes. A person’s life depends on the ability of the mind to become resilient to whatever it may encounter, most especially with unfamiliar territories and circumstances. When a person was engaged in addiction or has experienced trauma, the brain should reroute itself. Art can be therapeutic in a way that it lets a person recover from forms of negative occurrences, depending entirely on creating improved thought processes. By doing so, art creates a new pathway of knowledge and skills that can lead a person to become smarter in dealing with crises they might encounter.

While art can just be a form of past time or hobby to some people, to others, it is an escape.  Creativity has shown significant beneficence not only to children who have mental disorders but also to adults who are going through a rough time. So to say, art incorporated into life is highly advantageous.