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Colours of Healing: Painting Your Path to Emotional Restoration
Sitting under the Starry Night, the paint strokes move languidly across my face, engulfing every aspect of my being.
Van Gogh 360. Truly a mesmerising piece of art. Funny, how easily time slips by when we’re in the presence of artistic brilliance, how fast the world around us vanishes taking away all our woes and worries in its palms.
But that is the beauty of art.
It has the ability to engage not just our intellect but our minds, hearts and souls.
And acts as a vehicle that reveals one’s innermost thoughts and fears- the ability to portray a person’s purest truth.
Thus, having the ability for people to understand their emotions, conflicting feelings and help them find a resolution to their issues- which is the fundamental basis of art therapy.
So, what is art therapy?
Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being. It aids in communication, reducing stress and anxiety, channelling intense emotions, fostering self-awareness and a sense of value for people struggling with mental health, traumatic experiences, medical health problems, etc.
A 2017 study found that art displayed in hospital settings contributed to an environment where patients felt safe. It also played a role in improving socialization and maintaining an identity outside of the hospital.
Art gives people a reason. A sense of achievement of being able to create; bringing something into existence. It evokes a sense of belonging and agency, disconnecting from a negative thought cycle and cultivating a more positive tone. Not only does it improve self-confidence but it has the power to give people a voice when words are simply not enough. It brings us a non-verbal means of communication, to express ourselves in ways that cannot be said through words, and talk about topics freely.
Moreover, it provides a safe space to explore and channel emotions (which can be intense and/or dangerous) into a creative outlet that allows people to process difficult thoughts and complex emotions. This creative outflow fulfils the brain’s desire for novelty without compromising personal safety. The road of navigating emotions through splashes of paints and colours assists people in gaining a deeper understanding of not only themselves but their situations and helps them process these feelings in a much healthier way.
Allowing yourself to fully engage with your being and truly experience the colours allows you to absorb these aesthetic experiences, providing time for engaging all the senses to reimagine and rework previously established neural pathways to form new ways of seeing, thing and experiencing.
And no, you don’t need to be artistic for this. The whole point of healing through art is about the journey that the creative output. It isn’t the same as an art class, you won’t need to worry about technical skill or detail, instead, you focus on your inner growth. Your inner healing.
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Written by Sara Pole
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