Addiction is a deeply personal experience. Entering a treatment program often involves bringing up a lot of deep-seated emotions that have been numbed or buried under substances, making it difficult to express yourself or identify what you’re feeling.
A lot of recovery exists in the form of talking in therapy sessions, but art therapy can also be a vital tool for self-expression and healing when the words don’t flow easily.
Understanding Art Therapy for Addiction
Self-expression is an important part of mental health. While that can happen with words, the act of creating allows complex ideas and feelings to flow more easily, often in ways that trump mere words.
In addiction treatment, art therapy uses art practices to help people express complicated or painful thoughts and emotions without using words. Under the guidance of a trained art therapist, people explore their emotional state in a way that’s more comfortable than traditional talk therapy.
You don’t need artistic talent to succeed in art therapy. It’s about being open to the experience and engaging with it to see what the creative process brings forward.
Benefits of Utilizing Your Artistic Creativity for Recovery
Art therapy has numerous benefits in an addiction treatment setting. Sometimes, people struggling with addiction feel complex emotions and a loss of identity. Art therapy offers a constructive way to recapture identity and harness the power of the creative process. Because they don’t have to find the words to explain their feelings and thoughts, they can develop confidence in their ability to express themselves and feel understood.
The artistic process relieves stress and anxiety, which tend to develop with withdrawal. Art is a cathartic experience that purges those feelings into something powerful and constructive. Painful emotions are released, and people realize their potential.
Another critical aspect of art therapy is that it focuses on the process over the outcome. It’s about being creative more than creating a masterpiece, encouraging people to let go of perfectionism and embrace the creative process. In recovery, this translates into realizing that overcoming addiction involves taking small steps.
Art therapy also helps people feel empowered by controlling their emotions, trauma, and negative thoughts. They can create something meaningful and build a different connection with pain or discomfort.
Integrating the mind and body and connecting to the inner self is important in regulating emotions and combating cravings and temptation. Art therapy helps with mood and emotional regulation, deepens the mind-body connection, and encourages self-discovery.[2]
Though it’s often used in specific settings, art therapy is extremely versatile. It can be used in individual and group settings with people of any age, including children, teens, adults, families, couples, and peer groups.
Techniques Used in Art Therapy
Through art therapy, people develop alternative forms of communication to convey their emotions and experiences. This can be done through:
- Painting
- Drawing
- Sculpting
- Collage
- Making music
- Writing poetry
- Journaling
- Acting
Though the research is limited, studies suggest that art therapy can be more effective than some traditional treatment programs.[2] It’s also effective as a complementary therapy with other programs, particularly in balancing talk with other forms of expression.
Is Art Therapy Right for You?
Art therapy can have a beneficial, transformative effect on people seeking help for addiction. At Desert Cove Recovery, we take a holistic approach to addiction treatment by emphasizing the mind, body, and spirit, which includes exploring thoughts and emotions through artistic expression. Art therapy and other complementary and alternative therapies are integrated into our outpatient treatment programs for holistic healing.
If you or a loved one are seeking treatment for a substance use disorder and curious about art therapy, contact us at Desert Cover Recovery to learn about our comprehensive addiction recovery programs.
Sources:
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-healing-power-of-art [2] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ776998.pdf
