COVID-19 has compounded the skyrocketing global cases of mental health issues over the past years, leaving many feeling more alone, anxious, and stressed than before. As a result, the world is gradually transitioning into a new normal, necessitating therapy that addresses deeper needs for healing, wellness, and self-expression. Among the new techniques developed is art therapy—the novel combination of creativity with psychological care—which has fast emerged as an important element in this process.
Let’s look into what art therapy is, how it works, and why it’s a crucial component of mental health recovery in the post-pandemic era.
What is art therapy?
Art therapy uses creative activity—drawing, painting, sculpting, and more—to help people explore thoughts, emotions, and internal struggles. A trained art therapist guides participants using art to express feelings that might be very difficult to find words for.
Art therapy has nothing to do with creating something of beauty but is an expression of self-discovery, emotional release, and connection. Through the different creative activities, one will work their way through the challenging feelings that arise with a view toward building up coping strategies in order to manage the stresses, anxieties, and other mental health issues they are facing.
Why Art Therapy Matters Post-Pandemic
While the pandemic was undoubtedly unique for each individual, it shared common elements such as loneliness, fear, and uncertainty. They led to some other mental health issues, among others, and the ones existing became more intensified for those people. During this shifting shift of society towards healing, therapeutic mediums like art therapy have become even more obligatory.
Here are some specific post-pandemic benefits of art therapy:
A safe way to process emotions.
Art therapy is one of the ways to work through complex emotions without words. People who cannot open up about their feelings find art as a safe way to express themselves.
Mindfulness and Stress Reduction
This is soothing—arts engagement necessarily. These are meditations: focusing on colours, shapes, and strokes; these would make you lose the stress and even make you more mindful—the best way of handling anxiety.
Most art therapy sessions take place in groups, thereby creating a social environment in which patients can associate with fellow individuals who might be facing similar problems. Most of the time, sharing experiences fosters a sense of community and mutual support, which is crucial as it helps individuals regain their social confidence.
How art therapy works: techniques and approaches
Art therapists use several techniques to meet the specific needs of their patients, whether they are individuals, families, or groups. Some general methods in art therapy include:
Painting and drawing
This simple act of painting or drawing can empower one to articulate complicated emotions, which cannot find voice. Participants might paint images that emulate their emotions, fears, or desires with the help of the art therapist guiding them to understand their inner worlds better.
Collage Making
Collage is the cutting and assembling of different images or textures to tell a visual story. This can be highly therapeutic for individuals who are uncertain about expressing themselves in traditional formats, as they can utilize pre-existing images to convey their thoughts and emotions.
Sculpting and Clay Work
Working with clay is also especially helpful for those who suffer from trauma because it involves touch. Moulding and shaping clay provides a sensory experience that can help ground the participant, so they may feel more present and in touch with their physical environment.
Mandala Coloring
Mandala coloring is common in art therapy because of its help with mindfulness. The intricate pattern of the colouring of the activity is a procedure that focuses a person on the present; therefore, it is a great technique to give people a sense of calm and relaxation. This might help individuals overcome anxiety or stress.
Digital art and virtual platforms.
The digital world has advanced art therapy, enabling individuals to create art through drawing and painting on digital equipment. In times like the current pandemic era, many therapies are going digital; thus, art therapy with its digital approach has given the world some new modes of creating art as well as participating in the therapy right from one’s home.
Science Behind Art Therapy
Research has revealed that art therapy relates to clinically important changes in mental health. People who engage in artistic activities release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure and reward, in their brains. This can improve mood, reduce anxiety, and help eliminate depression symptoms.
Additionally, creating art requires focus, which may calm the mind and decrease stress. Art therapy also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and decreases tension in the body. For those with PTSD, depression, or anxiety, these effects can be of immense value.
Success Stories of Art Therapy
It is used in various settings successfully, from hospitals to community centres to correctional facilities. For instance:
Trauma Recovery
For most traumatic event survivors, like abuse and violence victims, emotional processing can be challenging. Art therapy, in that case, becomes an outlet that can help people express themselves safely over time until they regain the capacity to exercise control or gain value.
Children’s Mental Health
Art therapy works well for children who can’t express themselves. Children often use art to express emotions such as fear, sadness, or confusion, and therapists provide supportive guidance to help them make sense of these feelings.
Health Care Settings
Art therapy has also benefitted patients suffering from chronic illness or at the end of their ives. Engaging in creative pursuits could provide these patients with a sense of purpose in life, reduce feelings of helplessness, and enhance their quality of life.
Find a board-certified art therapist.
A professional who can guide individuals through the emotional process is the best person to lead art therapy. It is possible to find certified art therapists who can get you started with exercises suited for your needs.
Find apps and online resources for art therapy.
Alternative: You can find art therapy exercises on several online platforms and apps. These certainly do not replace the knowledge of a licensed therapist, but sometimes serve as a helpful way to introduce therapeutic creativity.
Creative Space at Home
Reserve a quiet space in your dwelling to conduct art therapy. It does not even call for much space—it will be just an area stocked with art supplies that are provided by paper, crayons, paints, or even clay, and by keeping the mind free and as focused as possible away from distraction.
Participate in group art therapy sessions.
You can participate in group sessions in numerous communities that support collective art therapy work. By connecting and sharing experiences, group therapy allows participants to become part of a community, which can be very reassuring after spending a lot of time in isolation alone.
Future horizons: The role of art therapy continues to expand.
Since awareness regarding mental health is developing, so are its uses. Many schools, companies, and healthcare professionals realise the value of incorporating creative therapies as part and parcel of holistic mental health care. The arts are no longer considered a privilege but are recognised as something that is necessary for welfare.
Final Thoughts
Art therapy is yet another healing tool—a creative outlet through which they could work through their feelings, let go of pressure and stress, and develop self-esteem. Creative therapies like this are very much the ticket for the post-pandemic world to find real human connections, express oneself appropriately, and grow personally and as an individual. That power of art unlocks and brings healing in every shape and stroke.
