One does not need to be a seasoned artist to seek comfort in pencil sketches, colours, and paintbrush strokes. From being a mental stimulant to a means of emotional expression, art entails multifaceted benefits.
Scientific evidence suggests that art positively impacts the brain and nervous system and increases serotonin levels in the body. Today, therapists incorporate art in its myriad forms as an integral part of their patients’ intervention plans.
Art therapy as a means for treating anxiety and trauma includes many innovative activities besides painting and sketching, such as collaging, chalk and charcoal art, digital art, clay modelling, etc.
At our rehab centre in Delhi, we implement art as therapy for patients grappling with various types of addiction and psychological disorders, from alcohol and drug addiction to anxiety disorder and trauma.
What are the Benefits of Art Therapy?
Here are some common benefits that patients would reap from art therapy:
- A Means of Emotional Expression: Sometimes, even in the most secure and conducive environments, patients (particularly those suffering from anxiety or PTSD) may be unable to express their feelings and emotions freely. Art provides such individuals with an outlet to express their hidden emotions. It also allows psychologists an insight into patients’ deepest inhibitions, emotions, and thoughts.
- A Productive Activity and Mental Stimulant: The detox and abstinence phase can be quite overbearing for individuals dealing with addiction. Art therapy can help such patients cope better with their withdrawal symptoms and replace their destructive behaviours with healthier and more productive ones.
- As a Form of Meditation: Meditation need not always entail deep breathing and consciously observing one’s thoughts. Being passionately engrossed in painting, sketching or other artistic endeavours can provide tremendous peace of mind and relaxation, thus qualifying as an effective form of meditation.
- A Stressbuster: Patients recovering from addiction and psychological disorders can have high-stress levels due to the sudden changes in their lifestyles. Art, here used as a form of therapy for anxiety and trauma, provides such patients with a much-needed break, helping them unwind, forget their other tensions for a while, and focus only on the present.
- For Building Self-Esteem: Engaging in creative activities boosts one’s self-confidence and instills a sense of accomplishment. Thus, it contributes to building one’s self-esteem and positive self-image.
Art Therapy at Safe House
At Safe House, our patients regularly occupy themselves with artistic forms of expression under proficient therapists’ close supervision. We facilitate various artistic activities, including:
- Collaging
- Sketching
- Watercolour painting
- Pastel colouring
- Clay art
- Chalk sketching
- Charcoal art
While patients are allowed to open up their minds and hearts in the creative process, their therapists closely facilitate the session. Based on each patient’s specific problems and preferences, the therapists provide patients with a definite direction. This guidance allows them to explore particularly relevant aspects that cannot be directly addressed in one-on-one therapy sessions, further helping in their recovery from anxiety and trauma.
If you are grappling with a psychological disorder or an addiction, look no further – we are just a call or message away! Reach out to us today, and let’s find the light together.