Nature has given us what we need to survive and thrive in the world; we’ve just forgotten this in a modern society invested in selling us all crutches.
Nature has given us what we need to survive and thrive in the world; we’ve just forgotten this in a modern society invested in selling us all crutches.This is part two of a an article I was inspired to write after reading Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross. If you haven’t already, you can read part one of my blog post here: Understanding Why You Love Art and How It Affects Your Brain. If you truly consider yourself a lover of the arts, I also highly suggest you grab a copy of Susan and Ivy’s book. It’s a great read.
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The World is Having a Trauma Crisis
The longer you live, you are certain to deal with some type of trauma, whether physical or psychological. Presently, the world is grappling with a global mental health crisis. Though capitalism would like to see us move quickly past recent events and “get back to business,” the aftermath of COVID-19 is impacting us all collectively in various ways.
As a result of this historic pandemic, 7 million people have died. Families have been indelibly marked by tragedy, and social support systems have been abruptly altered. Patterns of existence, like how we work and live, have been changed forever, and many people are still reeling.
Even before COVID-19, mass populations of people were struggling with a range of traumas stemming from a variety of factors. There’s epigenetic trauma occurring from multi-generational exposure to insults such as racism and violent gender inequality. Complex trauma from sustained suffering like childhood abuse, sex trafficking, and domestic violence. And then, there are post-traumatic stress disorders resulting from conflict, war, and forced migration.
This is before we even touch on the mass damage being afflicted on our young daily due to social media. Social media use has been linked to suicide rates that have more than doubled for children between the ages of 13-14.
The world over, the lack of adequate support for mental health is being cited as a deadly crisis where more than 70% do not get the help they need. Barriers to care can include a lack of infrastructure, cultural shame, a paucity of available healthcare workers and resources, and financial blockades.
Art as Medicine
Far be it for me to suggest that the arts should be considered a panacea for solving this immense global issue. However, a preponderance of evidence points to the fact that creative immersion should be looked at seriously on a larger scale as a vital tool in comprehensive therapy. For one, it’s accessible and far more affordable for patients having financial hardship. Also, let’s not forget that as a species, we’re already hardwired to be receptive to its numerous benefits.
Yet, in times of economic or political turmoil, arts programs are often the first to be cut from an agency’s agenda.
Indigenous cultures worldwide have known the healing power of the arts for millennia. It’s only been in the past two decades that post-colonial Western medicine has begun to take the notion seriously through the work of Neuroaesthetics.
As more researchers share their findings, everyone, no matter your socio-economic status, should be compelled to try tapping into this ancestral good medicine. We were built for it, and it’s a form of natural protection against everything life can throw at us, sitting right in front of us in arm’s reach.
10 Examples of the Healing Power of Art
Around the world, art is being incorporated into formal therapies to treat trauma, enhance healing, and extend the brain’s functionality.
There are pioneering programs such as Studio Elsewhere that fully embrace the evidence of aesthetic medicine and use it to help first responders reduce stress and remain effective. There are research-backed apps like Wavepaths using music and technology to support the work of mental health care providers. And there are psychiatrists like James Gordon who are incorporating art therapy to help displaced children of war heal and emerge from immense trauma.
In 2019, Dr. Daisy Fancourt completed a comprehensive review of over 3000 studies, compiling proof of the health benefits of applied art therapies. Research and neurobiology theories suggest that some of these benefits may be based on the modulation of neurotransmitters like serotonin, reductions in stress hormones like cortisol, and subsequent decreases in inflammatory immune responses.
Below are ten case examples from Dr. Fancourt’s findings.
- Mild Mental Illness
Engagement with the arts, including music therapy and dance, can reduce symptoms of mild mental illness, such as anxiety and depression, in children and adolescents. In adults, activities like choir singing, art-making, expressive writing, and group drumming reduce mental distress, depression, and anxiety while enhancing individual and social well-being. - Severe Mental Illness
Art can provide supplementary support to traditional pharmacological and psychological approaches for people with severe mental illness. Research shows art therapies led by trained therapists combined with creative engagement with individual or group-based discussions positively impact patients’ global state, psychotic symptoms, depression, anxiety, and ability to function in a community or in-patient setting. Both music therapy and music listening have been reported to improve symptoms of general psychopathology, aggressiveness, interpersonal hostility, paranoid ideation, anxiety, and depression, as well as catatonic symptoms like lack of participation, cooperation, relaxation, interaction, and psychosocial functioning. - Trauma in Children
With children who’ve experienced varying types of trauma, studies have shown that art therapies are an effective tool for helping to treat grief, depression, and PTSD. A specific example cited involved children who survived the catastrophic 2008 China earthquakes. They were given 30 days of calligraphy training, after which they significantly decreased hyper-arousal symptoms and stress hormones. In instances of alleged child abuse, children given access to arts resources and encouraged to draw during investigations provided clearer forensic statements. They were also more likely to report feelings of hope and success following the investigation. - Social Resilience
The arts have been shown to help build social cohesion and confidence. Participants develop improved cognitive, emotional, and social skills valuable for conflict resolution. Immersion in the arts also supports emotional growth, empathy, trust, social engagement, and collaboration skills resulting in more positive and cooperative relationships.Among indigenous communities, aesthetic experiences help to preserve cultural identity and traditions and bolster resilience. Between different cultural groups, the arts can help to reduce ethnic tensions and improve interethnic relations and cultural competence. - Victims of Forced Migration
Refugees and asylum seekers have reported that engaging in the arts following forced displacement supported them in creating new support networks and developing practical skills that were useful in finding work. In both children and adults, creative arts activities have been found to decrease anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and peer problems. Further, multicultural arts can support the preservation of personal identity, heritage, and experience after a forced migration. In this way, the arts can help to reduce feelings of powerlessness, humiliation, and anger, common issues faced by refugees, and promote social inclusion, mental health, social acceptance, and belonging. - Art in Hospitals
Providing arts activities, live music, and theatre performances by patients’ bedsides has been found to reduce anxiety and pain and improve mood and compliance with medical procedures in children and adults. The design of emergency rooms and waiting areas to include artwork and color has been shown to reduce aggressive behaviors toward staff. Also, arts activities in emergency settings, including music, crafts, and clowning, have been found to reduce anxiety, pain, and blood pressure, particularly among children but also for their parents. - Cancer
During cancer treatment, activities like listening to music or participating in art-making sessions have been found to benefit both children and adults. Benefits include reducing chemotherapy side effects such as drowsiness, lack of appetite, shortness of breath, and nausea. There have also been reports of reduced pain, anxiety, and distress, lowering the need for anti-nausea medication. Also, research revealed reductions in fatigue and depression along with enhanced feelings of energy and vitality. - Stroke
Listening to music has been found to help the development of new neural pathways following a stroke and to enhance structural neuroplasticity. These benefits have been accompanied by improvements in the recovery of verbal memory and focused attention, reductions in confusion and depression, and enhancement of positive mood, relaxation, and motor activity.For motor rehabilitation after stroke, music-supported therapy and dance have been found to improve upper- and lower-limb motor function, muscular weakness, balance, gait velocity, cadence, grip strength and stride length. Some studies have also shown improvements in executive function and memory. - Cardiovascular Disease
For people suffering from cardiovascular disease (CVD), listening to music and dancing have been found to reduce heart rate, blood pressure, and hypertension. Research has also suggested that making music can alter gene expression linked with stress and immune function. It has been proposed that music is beneficial for relaxation in cardiovascular disease through its simultaneous effects on psychological, neurological, immunological, and endocrine processes, leading to reduced stress and pain and better coping. Music has also been reported to decrease aortic stiffness (a significant risk factor for CVD). - Diabetes
Listening to music has been found to help control blood glucose levels and blood sugar spikes during ordinary and stressful situations. Related—hypertension (high blood pressure) increases the risk for a number of severe health problems, including diabetes. Studies have shown improvement in blood pressure and, subsequently, blood glucose levels through participation in arts activities like music therapy, dance, and other creative arts.
