The Benefits of Healing Art

Many top medical schools require their students to take creative arts courses to mold their critical thinking skills, observation, communication, bias awareness, and empathy skills. There is an abundance of research that shows that exposure to art stimulates the two hemispheres of the brain, including the motor cortex and the visual cortex, and it also activates deeper areas of the brain including the pleasure and reward area where serotonin is created. All this brain activation impacts the neuroplasticity of the brain, that is the ability of the brain to form new connections to evolve, repair itself, and adapt to new circumstances. The positive healing effects on the brain help mental health patients and addicts through programs like Aspire Counseling Services’ Healing Arts.

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brains neurons and neural networks to change their connections and behavior in response to sensory stimulation from new information. This may occur naturally and can result in positive or negative reorganization, or it can happen through behavioral techniques for therapeutic purposes. Exposure to art as a healing behavioral technique has occurred for decades, and studies have shown the immense positive results for mental health patients and those struggling with substance use disorders.

Art therapy, the application of visual arts in a therapeutic context, can be used to treat addictions, depression, anxiety, attention disorders, grief and loss, dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma, phobias, and much more. You can try a variety of art activities at home, such as journaling, sculpting, sketching, etc., but working with a licensed therapist, such as those at Aspire Counseling Services provides the advantage of a professional tailoring the activity to your specific needs. Group activities can also help to build healthy connections with others facing similar struggles.

Benefits of Healing Arts

• Stress Relief – Anxiety, depression, addiction, and other mental health disorders cause mental and physical stress. Healing Arts can relieve that stress.
• Self Esteem – Delivers a feeling of accomplishment improving your confidence and self-appreciation.
• Emotional Release – Provides a healthy outlet for expressing your feelings and fears. Expressing complex emotions can be difficult but creating art can provide that emotional release.
• Self-Discovery – Creating art can help you to access deep subconscious feelings.
• Feel Happier – Stimulates the release of the chemical dopamine in the brain which makes you feel happier. This is especially helpful for those battling depression, anxiety, and addiction.
• Sense of Control – those battling addiction and mental health issues often feel a loss of control in their lives, Healing Arts can provide that sense of control and help you to communicate better with yourself and others.

You don’t have to be a talented artist to benefit from Healing Arts. People who feel they have no artistic talents can complete the art therapy activities and find their creativity by being honest with themselves and their emotions.

Aspire Counseling Services invites all  their clients to participate in their Healing Arts program as a compliment to their other mental health and substance use disorder treatments. Healing Arts can help you to manage your behaviors, process your feelings, reduce your stress and anxiety, and increase your self-esteem. Call us today for more information on Healing Arts.

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