Expressing through Creative Outlets: Expressive Arts Therapy and Practices as an Effective Tool for Mental Health

“Art speaks where words are unable to explain.”
-         Pam Holland

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul”
-          Martha Graham

“When words fail, music speaks.”

• Hans Christian Anderson

Have you ever looked at a artwork, listened to a song or watched someone dance and felt like they deeply resonated with something you have gone through- a childhood memory, a life achievement or something heartbreaking? People have used artwork to express themselves and their thoughts from time immemorial. Be it cave paintings, folk and classical dances, or folk and classical music - they all have a story or invoke emotions without the need of any deep conversations. In fact, expressing oneself through different art forms bridges the gap between what one feels/thinks and what one wishes to say.

At its core, Expressive Arts Therapy is using a variety of artforms like visual art, dance/movement, music, creative writing, dramatized enactments and imaginary play. It is done purposefully to encourage action and engage different sensations in a psychotherapeutic setup. There has been a progressive shift of focus towards engaging the body to regulate and recover from distress, trauma or other emotional dysregulations. Expressive arts therapies have become a part of a range of ‘somatic’ (body-focused) practices to work through trauma, attachment issues, addictions, physical health issues and many more. These therapy modalities primarily operate on the premises that talk therapy might miss out on the implicit and physical manifestations of one’s experiences, thus, tapping into an extremely important aspect of processing experiences and change that might otherwise be untouched.

But is expressive arts therapy even effective?

The short answer to this question is – Yes. There has been more research done on checking the efficacy of arts-based practices and they are promising albeit not perfect. But there is no doubt that Expressive arts therapy has helped people with physical health problems like cancer, depression, self-esteem issues, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, Autism Spectrum Disorder and many more.

Art Therapy has been used the most extensively across the world by professionals for a range of physical and metal health concerns. But despite that, research work about their effectiveness are deemed inconclusive but still promising. Children who were provided with art therapy interventions showed improvement in quality of life, anxiety symptoms, problem solving, and other behavioural concerns.

Dance/Movement Therapy especially with mirroring (imitation) exercises helped for people with autism spectrum disorder to practice and improve their social skills. This therapy measure also helped individuals with depression.

Music based therapy interventions have also been documented as being effective to mange anxiety, depression, apathy and other emotional functions for people with dementia, terminal illnesses or for people without any other physical ailments. But there needs to be more research done to see the long-term impacts of music therapy- in fact, expressive arts therapy (as a whole) has a huge scope in research as a feasible therapy approach.

Expressive Arts Based Interventions are provided by therapists specializing in them and people can benefit a lot from these interventions. But depending on where you are from, cost of therapy or availability of therapists with Expressive arts therapy specialization, it can be difficult to access these services. So here are a few techniques or activities to try out at home that might help to experience relaxation or improve mood.

1. Art to express- As the name suggests. this activity is a rather simple way to express thoughts and feelings using paint, collages etc in a blank canvas- especially when talking about something is difficult. Intuitively allowing ourselves to paint our thoughts and feelings might also help us address any deeper feelings involved. But it can be converted into a fun group activity with friends, children, partners or parents (anyone who is willing to try it out) where everyone sits together to paint their thoughts.
2. Singing or humming for relaxation- This too is a simple activity but can be effective for relaxation. The aim is to focus on the singing rather than the technique. Humming a song (or simply humming) can also regulate our heart rate and create a sense of relaxation.
3. Intuitive dancing: When many of us think about dancing, we might feel intimidated by elaborate choreography or technique. But movement can be therapeutic for dancers and non-dancers alike. Playing a song and allowing yourself to move in what ever way you feel like can be relaxing. Sometimes focusing on one emotion and trying to express that emotion through movement can also be relaxing

You might look at these activities and wonder why such simple activities are mentioned here. But the thing is these simple activities when done consistently can help us a lot, especially when done with the intention to relax. You don’t need to be a skilled artist, acting enthusiast, painter, or singer to do expressive arts activities because everyone can benefit from these creative outlets.

Note: I have compiled and attached all the links I have used in this article and additional links for extra reading.

References

• Chowdhury, M.R. (2019) 15 music therapy activities and Tools, PositivePsychology.com. Available at: https://positivepsychology.com/music-therapy-activities-tools/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Dunphy, K., Mullane, S. and Jacobsson, M. (2014) The effectiveness of expressive arts therapies: A review of the literature: Published in psychotherapy and counselling journal of Australia, Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia. Available at: https://pacja.org.au/article/71004-the-effectiveness-of-expressive-arts-therapies-a-review-of-the-literature (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Elswick, Dr.S., LCSW. and University of Memphis School of Social Work students (2019) Expressive Arts Toolkit Manual Collection of Toolkit Interventions for Teachers- A collaboration between the  Edited by: Dr. Susan Elswick, LCSW Formatted by: Stacey Abraham and Anna Sanderlin , University of Memphis School of Social Work. Available at: https://www.memphis.edu/smartcenter/community/expressiveartmanual.pdf (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Jain, S. (2023) Dance movement therapy: Healing through dance, MyndStories. Available at: https://myndstories.com/features/dance-movement-therapy-healing-through-dance/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• JORDANIA, J. (2008) MUSIC AND EMOTION: HUMMING IN THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMAN HISTORY, Music and emotion: humming in the beginning of human history. In The Fourth International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony, Tbilisi, Georgia, ed R. Tsurtsumia (New York, NY: Nova Science) (pp. 41-49). Available at: https://symposium.polyphony.ge/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/02.Joseph-Jordania.eng_.pdf (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Karkou, V. et al. (2019) Effectiveness of dance movement therapy in the treatment of adults with depression: A systematic review with Meta-analyses, Frontiers. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00936/full (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Lu , G. et al. (2021) Effects of music therapy on anxiety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Psychiatry Research. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178121004339 (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Malchiodi, C.A. (2022) Handbook of Expressive Arts Therapy (Book Chapter), Guilford Publications. Available at: https://www.guilford.com/excerpts/malchiodi9_ch1.pdf (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Moula, Z. (2020) ‘A systematic review of the effectiveness of art therapy delivered in school-based settings to children aged 5–12 years’, International Journal of Art Therapy, 25(2), pp. 88–99. doi:10.1080/17454832.2020.1751219. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17454832.2020.1751219
• Regev, D. and Cohen-Yatziv, L. (2018) Effectiveness of art therapy with adult clients in 2018-what progress has been made?, Frontiers. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531/full (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Takahashi, H., Matsushima, K. and Kato, T. (2019) The effectiveness of dance/movement therapy interventions for autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review - american journal of dance therapy, SpringerLink. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10465-019-09296-5 (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Tao, D. et al. (2022) The physiological and psychological benefits of dance and its effects on children and adolescents: A systematic review, Frontiers in physiology. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9234256/ (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Upadhyay, D. and Pal, R. (2024) A Review Paper on Expressive Art Therapy and Its Implication on Mental Health, The International Journal of Indian Psychology. Available at: https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/18.01.043.20241202.pdf (Accessed: 27 July 2024).
• Photo by Steve Johnson: https://www.pexels.com/photo/multicolored-abstract-painting-1266808/