Essay on the Benefits of Art Therapy

Art therapy is part of communicative therapy that focuses on the creative process for building up an artistic approach to recover a person’s mental, physical, & emotional well-being. The artistic process involve in one expressing itself artistically which can support people to understand issues and to develop and accomplish their feelings and behavior, to reduce stress and to improve self-esteem and self-awareness.

Get Help With Your Nursing Essay

If you need assistance with writing your nursing essay, our professional nursing essay writing service is here to help!

Nursing Essay Writing Service

You do not need to be a talented or artist person to get the benefits. There are experts that will work with you to get deep into the primary messages delivered through your arts, which will support in the remedial process. Art therapy can accomplish several things for several people. Therapists use art for counseling by, healing, rehabilitation, treatment, psychotherapy and in a broad sense of the term; it is used to manipulate one’s inner self in a way, which may provide the person with the deeper understanding of him/her self.

Art therapists are experts, trained in both therapy and art. They are familiar about human growth, psychological concepts, clinical training, divine, diverse and creative traditions and the remedial potential of the art. Art is used in treatment, valuation, investigation, and provide consultations to associated professionals. Art therapist work with people of every age: individuals, families, couples, groups and societies. They provide facilities both individually and as a part of clinical groups, in situations that contain mental health, rehabilitation, remedial and scientific institutions; community outreach programs; schools; corporate structures; and independent practices.The best part is that anyone can use the art therapy. In the world where there is the multitude of methods to express and communicate one’s self. One of major differences among art therapy and the other methods of communication is that maximum other methods of communication provoke the use of words and language as a mean of communication.

One of the splendors of art as therapy is the capability of a person to express their feelings through any kind of art. However there are various other types of expressive therapies but expressive art therapy typically uses more traditional forms of the art such as painting, drawing, sculpture, or the variety of other types of graphic art expression.Art counselors are skilled to understand nonverbal symbols & metaphors that are frequently expressed through the art and through the creative procedure, ideas that are typically hard to express through words. It is with this process that the person really originates to notice the effects of the art therapy and discoveries that can be made.

Multiple sclerosis(MS) is aprovocativedisease in which theshielding coversofnerve cellsin thebrainandthe spinal cordare damaged. This damage interrupts the capacity of portions of the nervous system to communicate. There is no known cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatments endeavor to improve the function after the attack and avert new attacks. Art counselors work with these patients to support them to come to the terms with their condition and understand to accept their reality. Art therapy doesn’t always change people’s lives in a small period of time though but it does compromise a solution to their issues that is less clinical and complex than what they had tried before. MS is a complex disease that is difficult to define and hard to describe to those who doesn’t experience the nerve pain or the muscle spasms and the other physical limitations. Unfortunately, if you keep your feelings and thoughts to only yourself it can become both emotionally and physically harmful. Art therapies can help a persondevelop and express theemotional effect of MSwithout the use of words, improving stress situations and helping the person forge better contacts with friends, family and the medical team.

The main purpose of art therapy is to relieve the stress, understand emotions, and to restore the sense of control & confidence. Though it is a broad term but art therapy classically refers to any type of creative expression that is directed by an expert therapist who is committed to helping a patient revitalize their bodily and psychological health and skills. However doing art at your home on your own can also have positive effect.

Here are few of the most important benefits of art therapy on MS patients, they include:

Stress relief –Distracting your feelings and concentrating on a positive activity for some time is beneficial for relieving stress. Art itself is a fantastic mode to transfer focus and the slow monotonous actions of painting, drawing or even sculpting can physically provide peace to the body.

Depression less and isolation –As MS signs begin to hinder with your movement or energy levels, your social life starts to suffer and finally, numerous MS patients become isolated, nervous and depressed. Being with a person who understands your moods and symptoms can provide a healthy bonding opportunity.

Graphical help for vocal problems –It is not rare to get tongue-tied or merely give up on explanation for your symptoms and to state of mind to public/people. Unfortunately, a deficiency of communication means less effective remedy which leads to more suffering. Various people found out that they could express difficult thoughts easily with a graphical representation, specifically after getting into the pace of the artistic method.

For numerous MS patients, only holding on to the paintbrush is an important challenge. The final product is not essentially the most significant part of the treatment; the act of producing is what releases the tension, inspires self-exploration, and support social activities.

Art therapists use lots of other genres to understand their patients, including music, movement, dance and writing. Artistic treatment is a way of using the arts for example art, music, dance or drama in a beneficial environment with a qualified therapist. In arts treatment, MS patient are helped to express themselves by creating something, anything such as any kind of music or a painting, sometimes even a play. This could help them express their feelings, without even using words. When some patients could not talk without choking on their tears, the treatment gives them a voice and a mode to express themselves without having to talk. They don’t need to have any kind of special skill or any experience of doing art, dance, music or drama to discover the arts therapy supportive. The target is not to yield a great work of art but to enhance their creations to understand them better.

There are different arts therapies available for different type of MS patients. They all have recognized professional figures and provide guideline and codes of practice for their patients.

Music therapy

In this therapy, MS patient communicate with their therapist through music. This means playing, singing or even listening to music. If the patient is doing group music therapy, therapist can also use music to communicate with other patients in the group.

Music therapies can be helpful in various ways.

It could help patient express difficult feelings and hard memories that they find too hard to talk about in words.
It could bring back the old feelings and the memories they thought they had forgotten, helping to deal with hard things in their past and move on.
It could help them get used to expressing themselves, which can then help them write or talk about their feelings more easily.
The therapist could use music to connect with their patients, even if they are not consciously listening. That may be helpful if they find it really hard to communicate with new people, and can help them feel more capable to involve with other people.

Music therapy typically uses tapping or simple melodic instruments that can be played, even if patients don’t have any kind of experience of playing music. For example:

drums
wood blocks
maracas
bells
chime bars
Simple harps.

In this therapy, you may improvise music or play precise bits of music that you can practice and progress over time. During the session, the therapist will listen to the music patients create, and they use it to try and apprehend how patients are feeling. They will respond to this by playing one of their own music and practice this to try & make positive deviations to how a patient feels. They may also help patient to use music to explore their feelings and to think about how to relate to people.

Dance therapy

Dance therapy uses dance movements to help one express their feelings. It can help therapist to become aware of emotions that one find it hard to discuss, and to make a patient feel more comfortable with their body.

Dance therapies can be mainly helpful if the MS patients are having these issues:

Patients have negative feelings about their body for example, if they have a mental health issue related to their appearance, including eating problems orthe body dysmorphic disorderor (BDD).
Their emotional problems come out as physical illnesses for example, if they have depression, they can experience physical pain as part of this issue.
They find physical interaction with other people hard.
They feel separate or disconnected from their surroundings, or even out-of-touch with normal life
They are taking medication that disturbs the way they move
They have been sexually or physically abused, or have experienced a trauma.

In the dance therapy session, the therapist watches the way the patient move in order to comprehend more about how they are feeling, and helps them to express themselves through their movements. The therapist can encourage patients to change their movements to help change the way they feel. Like if a patient is feeling low or depressed, they may hunch their shoulders and appear smaller than they are. The therapist then can encourage them to reach up and stand more upright, to help them feel more self-confident. It is a nice idea to wear loose and comfortable clothes with light, flat shoes or even bare feet when doing dance therapy, so one can feel more comfortable when they are moving around.

Drama therapy:

Drama therapy is another form of therapy that uses the theatre and drama. It is mostly used in groups, but can also be offered as a one-to-one basis.

In drama therapy, there are a range of different techniques.

Improvisation: making up small plays or sketches
Role play: acting the part of a specific person in a precise situation, such as being a parent or a child.
Mime: acting without using any words
Movement: using the body to express yourself
Rhythm: using diverse rhythms in a speech to help develop your control on the way you express yourself.
Speech: using voice in ways that one otherwise find difficult such as shouting, whispering or crying.
Acting out: replaying behaviors that has caused one’s problem in the past, to help to learn to do things differently, or to replaying a situation you find difficult.

However, you do not have to only act in drama therapy. You can also be part in other parts of theatre, like:

being a director or producer
lighting person
making scenery, costume or the props
Being the audience: this can be mainly helpful if you are feeling stunned or you want some space without wanting to leave the group.

Drama therapy can help in several ways:

Expressing how you feel in a drama can help you understand to put tough experiences behind you.
Using Stories, imagery or symbols in a drama allows you to discover difficult or aching things that have occurred to you from a harmless distance, without having you to repeat the detail of your own story.
It can also help you to explore and understand the relationships with people, and can help you to address various problems.

During a session, therapist may use or adjust existing stories. They may improvise sketches or the plays. Patients have to act out a situation that has actually happened, or to make up a whole new one, to help them understand the feelings and relationships better.

Arts therapy:

Art therapy usually uses painting, clay and various other types of art to help patients get in touch with their feelings and express themselves. The art they make can also help their therapist understand more about their feelings and what is causing them, and can help them learn how to deal with things.

The different materials that are used in the art can be helpful in various ways. For example:

Objects as stones, pieces of trash or bark may help them reconnect with nature and help them feel closer to the world around them.
Objects they find may remind them of experiences they have had and helped them express and explore their feelings around them.
Clay can be valuable if they find using color difficult due to attack
Clay may help them move on from difficult feelings and experiences. The shape of clay is easily changed and transformed to show changes in the emotions or circumstances.
Using a camera can help them to connect with the present moment and with life it creates an immediate picture but at the same time keep them separate from what they are photographing, as they see it through a camera screen or lens.
Taking a photo can help them deal with their situation, as they think about how the things they choose to photograph might be connected with memories and emotions in their past.

During the session, a patient or a therapist can decide what type of things they might create, or they might use music, poetry or a story to give some ideas. As part of a therapy, a patient may display their artwork in an exhibition which can help them accept their state and emotions and feel more accepted by others, because their experiences are presented in a way that is better for other people to understand. This may be mainly useful if they have felt alienated after the attack. Various people find that enclosing their art is also a supportive part of therapy. For example, the frame may represent a limit that contains the emotions in a picture and makes them safe. These are few things that must be focused by a therapist while dealing with a MS patient during a therapy.

Innovation: Use of a detailed art material or graphical media to address patient’s presenting problems or for the strength and well-being of patients. Adaptation: Development of a detailed interference based on a psychotherapeutic approach such as psychoanalysis, CBT, or other model. Popularity: Consistent presence in literature conferences, or workshops, whether it is the actual intervention or variation of an intervention.

Find Out How NursingAnswers.net Can Help You!

Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs.

View our academic writing services

Edith Kramer, a renowned USA art therapist, artist and author, who is working for MS patients for several years, is credited with inventing the term “third hand,” the idea central to her approach to the art as therapy. To Kramer, the art therapy’s purpose is to allow the individual to generate graphical images that expressively and truthfully connect with experience and to the best of the person abilities. Kramer’s position resonances psychoanalyst, Theodore Reik’slistening with the Third Ear, a discourse describing how psychotherapists instinctively use their owninsensibleminds to decode and understand their clients.

Here is an explanation of the third hand involvement in its modest form. When working with a child patient, therapist might cultivate a drawing for the kid to polish as a way of creating a relationship or communication. In another scenario, Therapist might save a child’s clay character from tumbling apart by showing the child how to strengthen the legs or framework. Sometimes the art therapist literally becomes the hands for a specific patient; a mature with a incapacitating MS illness may need therapist to help cut and arrange the photos for a collage. Other times, therapist might make art during the session alongside a patient if it is therapeutically helpful or they might even communicate something nonverbally through an artistic communication rather than using words. Active imagination, in its widest sense, has a much greater role in the art therapy than just permitting impulsive images to disclose. It has a appropriate significance in modern practice because of fresh interest inmindfulness and methods such as dialectical behavior therapy and somatic experiencing, focusing on encouraging one to “stick with the image” and the body’s “felt sense.” These methods are progressively being used as methods for addressing trauma reactions and posttraumatic stress, among other emotional challenges and disorders due to MS. Mindfulness, adopted byneuroscience gurus likeDan Siegel and others, is a practice of harmonizing, very much similar to the nonjudgmental, alert concentration found in active imagination. Active imagination is just that a distinction on mindfulness exercise which is all about evolving a more serious ability to elucidate one’s thoughts, feelings and physical experiences. The advantage in using art expression is that it takes the products of lively imagination into concrete form, something that art therapy grasps central and striking to the remedial process. And as Jung implicit, staying with the image just may be the excellent function that helps patients see who they are, hold the moment, and accept what is, rather than what ought to be.

Art therapists and psychologists, along with some counselors have consequently adapted the idea of ‘how do you feel right now’ in a range of ways. Children, for instance, may be asked to draw faces articulating “mad, sad, glad and scared” to help them connect their emotional experiences to the therapist. An activity usually called a “body scan” is alternative general repetition that involves using a sketch of a body as stage for using drawing, collage or paint to portray where emotions are felt in the body. It’s a method that is showing to be mainly useful with people who have posttraumatic stress symptoms and MS symptoms because it often helps them to graphically identify distressful body feelings related to suffering reactions. While there are other similar directives, many art therapists, take a more free form method and simply ask patients to use color, shapes and lines, or images to express feelings when suitable to the goals of therapy.

Citations: http://www.arttherapyblog.com/what-is-art-therapy/#.VSQPE_mUdNM http://ms.newlifeoutlook.com/art-therapy-for-ms/

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/08/17/5-quick-facts-about-art-therapy/

http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/arts-therapies/#.VSQTVfmUdNM