Compassionate Approaches to Recovery
The journey of addiction recovery requires effective and compassionate approaches to help begin to heal your mind, body, and spirit. The integration of mindfulness through art therapy is a powerful approach to healing. The creative process used with the practices of mindfulness have the potential to provide substantial benefits. This holistic approach can be especially helpful in managing cravings and reducing stress levels. Mindful art-making provides a way for you to reconnect with yourself, discover deeper emotions, and build a strong foundation for your journey of recovery. Centered Recovery wants to dive into what this could mean for your recovery journey. For the next few minutes, let’s explore the ways in which art therapy can be transformational for your life!
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes creative ways to express and process emotions. Drawing, painting, sculpting, and many other art activities are used in therapy to give people space to explore their emotions and experiences, gain insight into internal voices, and express their personality. Art therapy combines principles of psychology and artistic creativity to establish a sense of well-being. The process of creating a form of art in a safe space can provide many benefits to those that may be struggling with mental health concerns. Art therapy allows you space to cope with certain events or emotions that may feel difficult to deal with.
The use of art in a therapeutic way can be traced back to ancient civilizations. In those times, art and creative expression were traditionally part of healing rituals and practices. The formal creation of art therapy came to be in the early 20th century. With advancements in psychology as well as psychotherapy, we learned that art therapy can be especially helpful for many who are in a difficult season of life.
Who Can Benefit from Art Therapy?
The truth is, everyone can benefit from art therapy! You don’t have to be an artist to gain valuable skills from this form of therapy. Because there are many ways to approach art therapy, there is room for everyone to enjoy it! We’ll look through various age groups and how art therapy can improve the well-being of each.
Children and Adolescents
Art therapy can be especially helpful for children and adolescents who may struggle to express emotions through words. It can be especially helpful for those who may struggle with behavioral issues, various developmental disorders, or a learning disability. In children and adolescents who have experienced any sort of trauma, art therapy can be especially helpful in processing that trauma and improving self-regulatory skills.
Adults
Arts and crafts may be looked at as a childhood activity, but they can be really effective for adults too! Art therapy provides you with an outlet for expressing your creativity in order to process emotions, learn about yourself, and gain tools for growth. Adults dealing with stress, depression, PTSD, or substance use disorders can greatly benefit from art therapy practices!
Trauma Survivors
Any survivor of trauma, regardless of where the trauma came from, may find it difficult to use words to process emotions. Art therapy creates an outlet for the survivor to safely explore their emotions and experiences without having to speak at all.
Substance Abuse Recovery
Those who are in treatment for substance use disorders can use art therapy as a part of their recovery journey. As a part of the treatment plan, art therapy can be used to explore underlying concerns, develop healthy coping skills, as well as reduce the overall risk of relapse.
How Can Art Therapy Help?
Art therapy can be helpful in many different ways, with each improving and promoting well-being. Mental, emotional, and physical well-being are essential in maintaining balance in our lives.
Art therapy is often used as a way to express and process various emotional responses. It provides a way for people to experience emotions and thoughts without having to search for the words to describe them. Art therapy is a wonderful tool to use as a way to release emotions in a safe and supportive environment.
Art therapy is especially helpful in a journey of self-discovery. Sometimes, it’s difficult for us to pinpoint exactly what we are feeling and experiencing. When we channel this into art, we allow ourselves space to better understand and reveal what we are feeling inside.
Often, for those of us who struggle with substance use or a mental health condition, some reasons underlie that struggle. Maybe we’ve experienced some sort of trauma in our lives. Trauma can infiltrate all aspects of our lives and can stem from a variety of experiences. Whether we have trauma related to relationships, work, finances, etc., art therapy provides a way to process these experiences safely.
Examples of Art Therapy in Action
- Coloring in a coloring book, or even free-handing on a blank sheet of paper!
- Cutting pictures in a magazine or printing out pictures to place onto a collage.
- Drawing what your emotions or experiences feel like to you.
- Painting a moment or place that feels safe to you.
- Sculpting clay into a physical piece that relates to how you feel.
- Listen to music and paint the feelings that the song brings up for you.
- Create a drawing or painting using only colors that feel calming to you.
- Draw a place, mental or physical, where you feel truly safe.
- Draw something that you are afraid of, and bring this fear to light.
- Photograph places or objects that feel comforting and safe to you.
- Create a collage of photographs of places you wish to visit one day.
Incorporating Mindful Art Therapy for Emotional Well-Being
Art therapy and mindfulness go together very well. They both focus on present-moment awareness, allowing you to safely process emotions and experiences. During art therapy, clients are encouraged to focus on simply the act of creating some sort of art, which encourages mindfulness activities. Mindfulness practices encourage being aware of emotions, thoughts, and feelings without judging them as they come. Similarly, in art therapy, it’s important that clients feel they can express their emotions freely without focusing on the quality of the art.
Mindfulness is essential in guiding you to be aware of your current emotional state. When we are mindful of what we are currently feeling, art therapy acts as a way to express and process these feelings.
Both mindfulness and art therapy are beneficial in providing space to become more self-aware. Greater self-awareness can help us better understand our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
How Centered Recovery Incorporates Mindful Art Therapy
At Centered Recovery, we’ve created a unique and specialized curriculum that includes elements of mindful art therapy. Here you’ll be exposed to hands-on, mindfulness-based creative outlets! Our specialized, intensive program is crafted to guide you on your journey to understanding how your own patterns and habits are formed. With over 100 classes offered at Centered, a number of them are dedicated to incorporating some form of art therapy techniques!
Rather than the traditional 12-step approach to recovery, Centered offers an effective alternative option that is rooted in the latest research in mental health and addiction. We strive to meet the needs of all of our clients, which is why our curriculum is so diverse and incorporates many different treatment modalities.
Because art therapy can be effective for many different life struggles and groups of people, we are proud to offer classes that let you explore your creative side in a safe space. When given time and space to safely express our emotions, the benefits can be life changing!
Contact Centered Recovery Programs Today!
Now that you’ve read about our guided program for recovery, contact us to get started! Centered Recovery Programs, located in the heart of Roswell, Georgia, is a mindfulness-based outpatient drug and alcohol rehab treatment program. When choosing the best drug and alcohol treatment program, keeping all these different aspects in mind is essential. Our staff will always tailor your treatment to your needs and goals for the future!
Whether you prefer to attend treatment in person or need virtual telehealth services, we can help! Centered Recovery has been providing meaningful, quality care to Georgia residents since 2017, and we have the most Google Reviews of any treatment provider in the state–all five stars!
If you have been considering a guided alcohol and drug rehab using mindful art therapy, or you have been struggling with mild mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, overwhelming stress, or burnout issues, and would like to understand the difference that a mindfulness-based program can make, please give us a call at 800-556-2966 to speak to one of our Admissions Team counselors today!
Written by Sydney Christiansen, Clinical Intern
