Art Therapy Essay

In the book titled “The Trauma Tool Kit: Healing PTSD from the inside out,” (2012) author Susan Pease Banitt describes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as, “a whole-body tragedy, an integral human event of enormous proportions with massive repercussions.” (Bannit) The symptoms of this disorder may vary person to person, making the process of diagnosing this condition difficult for healthcare experts. One of the main concerns of those affected by PTSD is that the side effects of the medications they are taking tend to have more serious or dangerous side effects than the symptoms they already experience. As a result alternative treatments are becoming increasingly popular among those individuals who have been diagnosed with PTSD.
Following the
Art therapy is more than simply drawing or painting. Music, theatre, and dance have become the treatment of choice for many people. One of the largest problems attributed with PTSD is the inability to express emotion. These artistic therapies allow patients to do just that. While researching at the University of Warsaw, Beata Hoffman explained that, “Choreotherapy is based on a belief that movement and dance integrate emotional, Cognitive and physical realm of a man. This technique contributes to the acceptance of one's physicality with which patients often have a problem.” (Hoffman) The purpose of art therapy is to allow a person the time to do something other than think about the trauma they endured. These artistic therapies are meant to be calming, and relaxing. The best thing this therapy offers the patient is it trains them to focus on the here and now. Simultaneously, the person suffering from PTSD is learning how to change their own behavior through the same art therapy. They learn what they are feeling and how to properly handle those emotions. This form of treatment may not appeal to everyone, however those that have kept an open mind to Art therapy have been able to cope with their trauma and learn to live a happy fulfilling life after the trauma. Actively participating in art therapy has been shown to have 3 positive outcomes for the patient. This therapy has also proved to help those who have suffered from sexual trauma, natural disasters, survivors of war and refugees. According to Jeremy Ramirez’s (BS, MPH-C) review of art therapy, (2016)
“through the practice of art therapy, patients with PTSD experienced at least three significant outcomes: 1) the ability to express thoughts which could not previously be verbalized, 2) improved social relationships which led to reduced social detachment, and 3) a general reduction in re-experiencing, hyper-vigilance and avoidance.”