The Therapeutic Power of Art: More Than Just a Hobby

The Therapeutic Power of Art: More Than Just a Hobby

Anyone who has sat down and doodled with pen and paper or put effort into making art has probably experienced at some point the state of flow that often comes with creative expression. That feeling when time passes quickly and one gets deeply engrossed and lost in the moment. Science has shown this state of flow is actually associated with a change in brain activity and brain waves, fostering a regenerative and healing state. This state of the brain enables easier access to unconscious or repressed thoughts, ideas, and emotions, paving the way for a deeper understanding of oneself and potential healing.

In the early 1900s, C.G. Jung began delving into the relationship between the unconscious mind and art-making. His work on the collective unconscious and its symbols inspired the early pioneers of art therapy in America. Art therapy melds psychotherapy with art making. Through creative expression, one can access traumatic memories or emotions that are challenging to articulate.  This form of self-expression can help liberate trapped emotions, speeding up the healing process. While art therapy is invaluable for those experiencing PTSD, anxiety, and depression, it also benefits individuals undergoing major life transitions, grieving, or for those struggling to connect with their emotions.

Creating art, whether through drawing, painting, using clay, or making collages, activates both hemispheres of the brain, but mostly the left hemisphere, which is associated with creativity, spatial awareness, and visualization. The right hemisphere  is primarily associated with language, logic, and reasoning.

Traumatic experiences can sometimes be so overwhelming that the brain struggles to process them, and instead gets stored in short-term memory, which is governed by a part of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for processes like associating smell with memory, scanning the environment for danger, and activating the autonomic nervous system, (or fight or flight system) when it senses danger. The autonomic nervous system controls everything the body does automatically, such as breathing, digestion, heart rate, and hormone production, including cortisol, etc. 

Trauma can cause the limbic system to perpetually stay on high alert, explaining why individuals with PTSD or unresolved trauma often remain in a consistent state of stress. They often experience a host of stress-related symptoms or even chronic health conditions. They can find it difficult or impossible to fully relax and be present, experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, and even dissociation. Someone with trauma might be able to logically understand what is happening, but they feel cut off from their emotions, or they might have unexplained emotional reactions when a traumatic memory is triggered. The original trauma was essentially never fully processed. This can happen with minor events as well, or micro traumas, such as an embarrassing event, or being told something negative or harmful by a teacher or parent. 

There are now therapeutic treatments that can help the brain get unstuck, such as EMDR therapy, which is theorized to encourage the left and right brain to process trauma simultaneously through rapid eye movement. The brain is able to make new connections and process the event both emotionally and logically, allowing the brain to reframe the event and release it from short-term memory, aka the limbic system. 

This is where making art can also help. By engaging both sides of the brain, one is able to process emotions in a non-verbal and non-logical way and work through difficult emotions and memories in a way that isn’t triggering or painful. This can be done in an art therapy session with a therapist, but making art in a non-clinical setting like at home or with a group of friends can be extremely beneficial too. 

Creating art benefits the brain in several important ways. It amplifies blood flow to the reward and pleasure center of the brain – the medial prefrontal cortex – and elevates theta and alpha brain waves, which are associated with a deep state of relaxation and focus. This is similar to the state achieved during meditation, often referred to as the "flow state". Creating art has also been shown to significantly reduce cortisol levels. 

To get some of these benefits, any art form will work. You could try drawing, painting, coloring, or even making shapes out of clay. Try to minimize distractions and set aside a small chunk of time, such as 15 or 30 minutes. To take it a step further, you can try journaling during or after your art session to help you process any emotions or thoughts that come up. Look at the colors you chose, or maybe a symbol you drew, like a tree or a particular doodle, as these can provide clues into hidden or unconscious thoughts and emotions. Think about how the colors you chose feel, or what associations you might have with what you drew. 

As a side note, if you find yourself in extreme distress, it's important to consult a professional art therapist before attempting self-therapy.

Art is much more than just a hobby, it can be a powerful way to unlock your unconscious mind, improve your creativity, facilitate healing, and improve the state of your brain, and these benefits can be found even in short art sessions in your spare time.