We often hear that art therapy heals, or engaging in creativity helps to reduce stress and also is good for our mental health, or that art helps to express what words cannot express, etc. We all hear about it and feel good about it. Now let’s know what is art and how it helps in a therapy session.

The use of artistic methods to treat psychological disorders and enhance mental health is known as art therapy. Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being. Art, either creating it or viewing others’ art, is used to help people explore emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, boost self-esteem, and work on social skills.

According to American Art therapy Association, Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.

Art Therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art Therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.

Now let’s see why do feel happy and/or there is certain shift in our emotions when we engage in being creative, keeping in mind the drawing, painting or mandalas in mind:

• It gives us a sense of accomplishment. Remember when we were in school, we used to run and be excited for our art class because we could make something creative and that would be our way of talking or communicating through the pictures.
• It allows us to tell stories via images, colours, shapes and sizes. When you draw or paint, you draw minimal things that have huge stories and feelings, thus helping anyone to express without having to use words or anything that one isn’t comfortable with.
• Even if the drawing/painting isn’t that good as one copies it from, still it gives a feeling of feeling really good that one completed the drawing/painting and enhances the mood immediately.
• One can show one’s emotion in just a single circle drawing and can also alter and/or revisit their work for more reflections and insights, and still it won’t be the same.
• Being creative helps children develop various skills and mental abilities from a very young age
• Drawing mandalas can also be meditative, because our brain likes repeated patterns hence helps to release the bottled up emotions
• Using different colours, different medium of colours can also help feel calm because it is soothing to see different colours feel them pour on paper and/or hands

So, if you think that you cannot draw, then think again!! Drawing or painting doesn’t require you to be any professional artist. To be creative, you just require to be able to get in touch with your feelings and open minded to pour them on paper just the way they lead you.

So dear all, start being in touch with yourself, start being creative.