Art, Music & Healing

 

 It is well established in many parts of the world that music and art have healing properties, whether that is for physical ailments or mental illness or both. Oftentimes, it isn't as simple as labeling an illness a physical or a mental one as many have components of both. It has been well established that art helps alleviate pain in cancer patients and music helps improve memory in dementia patients.  

According to researchers from the American Journal of Public Health, "Music is the most accessible and most researched medium of art and healing, and there has been a principal emphasis on the soothing capacity of music and its ability to offset overly technological approaches to care. In particular, music therapy has been shown to decrease anxiety. The pleasure shared by participants in the healing process through a music therapy program can help to restore emotional balance as well. There is also evidence of the effectiveness of auditory stimulation, together with a strong suggestion that such stimulation abolishes pain, as a strategy for achieving control over pain."

It has been mentioned again and again in literature that music is a great source of reduction in stress as well as pain, physical and emotional. Music has also been linked with the calming of neural activity which can lead to reductions in anxiety. 

Art on the other hand can help people express thoughts and feelings that may be too difficult to put into words. Art has been used as a great therapeutic tool for those suffering from depression as well as be a great aid for trauma recovery. 

"Art can be a refuge from the intense emotions associated with illness. There are no limits to the imagination in finding creative ways of expressing grief. In particular, molding clay can be a powerful way to help people express these feelings through tactile involvement at a somatic level, as well as to facilitate verbal communication and cathartic release and reveal unconscious materials and symbols that cannot be expressed through words." - American Journal of Public Health

These are some very specific examples of how art and music has been utilized in therapeutic ways. There are many, many day to day ways in which art and music are helpful as well. There is a reason for why adult coloring books have become so popular in recent times! Below are some of the ways in which music and art are beneficial for all whether suffering from an illness or not, provided by http://www.drawingonearth.org/resources/10-reasons-why/

Art Generates a Love of Learning & Creativity. Art develops a willingness to explore what has not existed before. Art teaches risk taking, learning from one’s mistakes, and being open to other possibilities. Kids who are creative are also curious and passionate about knowing more.

Art Develops the Whole Brain. Art strengthens focus and increases attention, develops hand-eye coordination, requires practice and strategic thinking, and involves interacting with the material world through different tools and art mediums.

Art Prepares Kids for the Future. Creative, open-minded people are highly desired in all career paths. Art and creative education increases the future quality of the local and global community. Being creative is a life long skill and can be used in every day situations.

Art Teaches Problem Solving. Making art teaches that there is more than one solution to the same problem. Art challenges our beliefs and encourages open-ended thinking that creates an environment of questions rather than answers.

Art Supports Emotional Intelligence. Art supports the expression of complex feelings that help kids feel better about them selves and helps them understand others by “seeing” what they have expressed and created. Art supports personal meaning in life, discovering joy in one’s own self, often being surprised, and then eliciting it in others.

Art Builds Community. Art reaches across racial stereotypes, religious barriers, and socio-economical levels and prejudices. Seeing other culture’s creative expression allows everyone to be more connected and less isolated – “see how we are all related.” Art creates a sense of belonging.

Art Improves Holistic Health. Art builds self-esteem, increases motivation and student attendance, improves grades and communications, nurtures teamwork, and strengthens our relationship to the environment.

Art is Big Business. At the core of the multi-billion dollar film and video game industry are artists creating images and stories. Every commercial product is artistically designed, from chairs to cars, space stations to iPods. And a Picasso painting just sold for 106 million dollars.

Art Awakens the Senses. Art opens the heart and mind to possibilities and fuels the imagination. Art is a process of learning to create ourselves and experience the world in new ways. Arts support the bigger picture view of life: beauty, symbols, spirituality, storytelling, it also helps us step out of time allowing one to be present in the moment. Art keeps the magic alive.

Art is Eternal. Creativity and self-expression has always been essential to our humanity. Our earliest creative expressions were recorded in petroglyphs, cave paintings, and ancient sculptures. One of the first things kids do is draw, paint, and use their imaginations to play.



For additional reading on this topic: 
http://www.healthcommunities.com/chronic-pain/music-therapy-art-therapy-healing.shtml
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804629/
http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/features/thinking-creatively-family-and-youth-work/art-therapy
http://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/major-depression/creative-therapies/
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2014/05/27/paint-write-sing-how-the-arts-help-heal-patients
http://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/ArtsInHealthcare_0.pdf
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brick-brick/201402/does-music-have-healing-powers
http://www.drawingonearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/10reasonswhy.pdf