Art Therapy for Depression
Expressive arts therapy can be effectively integrated into the treatment of a number of different mental health issues.
But it can be particularly helpful for people diagnosed with depression. Depression is characterized by feelings of hopelessness and apathy that can make self-reflection and emotional expression very difficult. If the depression has lasted more than a few weeks, months, or even years it can become a struggle to imagine a time when they have not felt this way, or a future in which they no longer feel this way. Despair sets in and hope for change begins to dwindle breaking down their self-esteem and feelings of self-worth.
Art therapy offers an alternative to traditional talk therapy for those suffering from depression. Art therapy is a non-judgmental therapy where the client is asked to express themselves non-verbally using images and symbols. This allows the client to create some separation from the problem and the feelings by externalizing them. Once the feeling has been expressed the therapist explores what has been created and the meaning the client has assigned to it. By using non-verbal forms of expression the client is asked to say things in a new way, breaking them out of old patterns. And by separating person from pain, the client gains distance from the issue and no longer has to identify with it creating more flexibility. Now there is space for something else to exist and room for a new thing to take its place.
Art therapy is effective primarily for two reasons. The first is that the client can create artwork which expresses their current mood and then use the artwork as a basis for discussion around their mood. Many people who struggle with depression struggle to identify and communicate their internal state. Their emotional experience becomes foreign to them and is replaced by emotional flatline (apathy) or overwhelming sadness (despair). Using art making to represent their internal state allows the client to become reacquainted with their emotions, explore how they experience emotion and examine the stories they build around each emotion using symbol and metaphor.
Secondly, art itself provides the client with a method for stabilizing mood through relaxing art techniques and creativity. The act of making creative work is a right brain activity and until analyzing the finished art work, words are unnecessary to the process. This offers people a break from the mental chatter than can be, and often is, very negative for those struggling with depression. Moving from one side of the brain to the other is soothing in itself, but the sensory stimulation of the materials and the hand-eye movements are also relaxing, which help with mood stabilization by giving the brain something tangible to focus on in the present and increasing the ability to self-regulate.
Art therapy can be extremely helpful to people in a therapeutic setting and with the assistance of a trained therapist, however you can still reap the benefits from art making or craft making at home.
Some ideas for those interested in starting a therapeutic activity at home are:
Creating a vision board
Knitting/Crocheting
Baking
Watercolors
Drawing in a sketchbook
Keeping a visual journal
Coloring Books
If you think that you might benefit form art therapy or you have struggled with traditional talk therapy and are open to trying a different approach please reach out for more information or to set up an appointment with Katelyn Bailey, AMFT.
