Creative Expression
Self expression is the primary tenet and goal for most mental health professionals. Giving client's a voice to express themselves and their story is highly valued and therapeutic. However, simply speaking your feelings and story is often not enough. Creative expression and Art therapy starts where words end, when feelings cannot be articulated through words. We experience so many feelings words cannot reach. Creative expression allows us to safely tap into emotions, memories and experiences without words. Creativity is an innate need and is part of being alive. We are afterall creations ourselves!
Neuroscience validates the strong healing power of right and left brain theory. Our left brain is the center for verbal, logic, conscious, structured, and rational functioning while our right brain is the center for intuition, creativity, imagination, spontaneity, unconscious and emotional functioning. Creative Expression allows us to safely tap into our emotions and offers them movement and release. Thus when we create we are activating the emotional right brain and tapping into the source from where we feel. Sometimes our creative expressions can be a surprise to us in the same way our feelings can take us by surprise. The exceptional benefit of creative expression is that a permanent record of our emotions exists in the art product and we are then able to explore its richer meaning for ourselves.
Neuroscience validates the strong healing power of right and left brain theory. Our left brain is the center for verbal, logic, conscious, structured, and rational functioning while our right brain is the center for intuition, creativity, imagination, spontaneity, unconscious and emotional functioning. Creative Expression allows us to safely tap into our emotions and offers them movement and release. Thus when we create we are activating the emotional right brain and tapping into the source from where we feel. Sometimes our creative expressions can be a surprise to us in the same way our feelings can take us by surprise. The exceptional benefit of creative expression is that a permanent record of our emotions exists in the art product and we are then able to explore its richer meaning for ourselves.
Emotional Wellness
Emotions are our own responses to how we perceive our world and experiences. All emotions are valuable and necessary. They are indicators of our inner and outer experiences and give us important information about what we sense in our world. We experience emotions in our bodies, yet they are linked to the mind. We cannot "think" a feeling! and in order to find balance and wellness, our emotions require movement and expression. Our emotions are energy and important indicators of health. Repressing emotions can lead to physical manifestations of stress such as serious illness, depression, anxiety, lethargy and pain. Release of powerful emotions is called a catharsis and has proven to feel empowering and healing, especially when witnessed. Creative expression through Art therapy allows for safe catharsis and expression of all emotions. It improves our emotional awareness and self-understanding and gives us refuge from our suffering and confusion.
