Doctors may recommend art therapy for your PTSD

Invisible wounds are probably more challenging to heal than bodily injuries. PTSD is just one of the many examples of mental conditions that not only make communication a burden but also change patients’ perceptions about themselves and the world around them.

Unfortunately, it’s quite common nowadays, with increasingly more people dealing with trauma in one form or another. The truth is that past experiences are hard to forget, clearing the way for repressed thoughts that materialise sooner or later in stress, anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, or other trauma symptoms. Patients often find it hard to communicate their emotions, at least through spoken words. Thus, the quest for new ways of expressing painful feelings has become a necessity. Art, in this case, plays a critical role. Scientists have found that people suffering from PTSD can express their traumatic experiences through artistic mediums.

Expression through art is a respected PTSD treatment that many doctors recommend to face jumpiness, intrusive thoughts, angry outbursts, nightmares, and other symptoms that prevent PTSD patients from enjoying a normal life.

Find below more insights about this one-of-a-kind type of therapy:

What is art therapy?

As the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) reports, art therapy is a professional-facilitated treatment implying creative mediums like colouring, painting, drawing, and sculpture as methods to overcome inner conflicts and foster healing. It can be accompanied by talk therapy if the patient’s current condition allows it, but if the contrary, it only relies on art-making. Creative outlets, such as dance, painting, or music, are all useful in treating PTSD, and they are chosen based on the patient’s specific symptoms.

According to AATA, art therapy has the following benefits:

• emotional resilience
• enhanced sensory-motor and cognitive functions
• improved social skills
• self-esteem and self-awareness development
• distress and conflict resolution and reduction

Having an inclination to art isn’t a requirement, as making use of art therapy has a single goal – fostering among PTSD patients. The objective is by no means creating aesthetically appealing artwork, although we can only congratulate those with talent in this regard. Thus, everyone can benefit from this type of therapy as a primary treatment or integrated with other medicines to nurture patients’ well-being and emotional curing.

Art therapy to treat PTSD

Talk therapy has long been the go-to option to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And although no one contests its merits, let’s face it – some patients just can’t express themselves through spoken words. That’s where art therapy comes into play. When words fail to do the job, creative outlets can be of great help. Grethen Miller, a board-certified art therapist for the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, believes that art expression is an efficient and safe method to contain and create separation from the frightening experience of trauma. It’s just encouraging how art manages to give voice to make a trauma survivor’s deepest thoughts and fears visible.

Patients can express themselves through diverse art mediums, from practising an instrument and writing a song to sculpting, painting, and photographing things or landscapes. Nonetheless, a specialized therapist, such as those specializing in Trauma and PTSD Therapists Toronto, will decide which artistic outlet is most suitable for each patient. For victims finding it hard to open up to someone, doing art therapy is always a practical solution. Not only does it give them a chance to identify their coping mechanisms but also to return to a normal life.

What is trauma?

Trauma is the very response to a profoundly terrifying situation or set of circumstances. Various events are considered to be traumatic, from some sort of childhood abuse and assault to a vehicle accident and racial discrimination. You heard it right – car accidents can result in emotional distress, apart from physical damage. A person going through such a frightening experience may find it challenging to integrate into society again, especially if they’ve suffered a severe injury that led to surgery or, worst of it all, limb amputation. If you’ve been a victim of such a horrifying event and, consequently, developed PTSD, CompensationCalculatorUK.co.uk recommends taking adequate legal action. If you suffer as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible for compensation. We know this may not bring what’s lost back, but it can help with the medical costs of your recovery – and that’s a lot.

PTSD and art therapy – the benefits

As previously mentioned, art therapy helps patients exteriorise their emotions, but it can do much more than that. According to a review of studies, this therapy can benefit people struggling with anxiety and depression. So, it goes beyond trauma and also beyond age borders. As another study suggests, art therapy is beneficial for children who have gone through trauma. Traumatised people can finally feel free to express their feelings and make art out of them.

Creating art fosters positive emotions by reinforcing self-esteem and self-worth. Putting something down on paper or shaping a sculptural form with your hands strengthens your self-confidence and increases the hormones promoting happiness – serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.

Art therapy is also proven to improve social relationships, although this appears a bit unbelievable. Nonetheless, a report entitled “Art Therapy, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Veterans” suggests that individuals benefiting from this kind of treatment tend to feel safer about their communication and establish relationships easier with others. As you may already know, PTSD is a mental disorder that makes patients withdraw and feel socially marginalised, so this particular advantage of art therapy is nothing but encouraging. Plus, group art therapy sessions enable PTSD patients to engage socially and form meaningful connections. Once again, art turns out to be beneficial for the soul – and the mind.

PTSD, the body, and art therapy

You may wonder what PTSD and art therapy have to do with the body. Well, a lot. Physical self-reflection is the first step in letting go of the oppression of the past. Let’s not forget that people suffering from trauma feel unsafe not only inside their minds but also inside their bodies. So, a form of therapy like painting, drawing, or sculpting is especially helpful, as it helps patients manipulate art outside themselves. When mind and body work in tandem, healing is achievable.