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Creative arts therapies can promote wellbeing

In a physical rehabilitation class, adults with neurological damage are learning how to walk again by moving to music with a steady rhythmic beat. The familiar, well-liked tunes help everyone feel less frustrated and more motivated, and the strong beat acts as a gait-timing cue.

In a community hospital, kids with cancer work with clay to help them to talk about how they feel about being sick.

In a community centre, a Lamaze class of expectant mothers is learning how they can use music to relax and cope with pain during natural childbirth.

Positive changes

These are just some of the ways in which music therapy is helping to promote positive changes in the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health of Canadians from many different walks of life and in all different types of settings. Music therapy can help people of all abilities manage stress and improve their quality of life.

"You can open yourself up to an experience for which you may not have words."

Impact can be measured

Research into music therapy shows that it is effective in the assessment and treatment of a number of clinical disorders, including Parkinson's disease and dementia.

Music therapy is just one kind of creative art therapy. A distinct profession within the larger field of psychological counseling; other creative arts therapies include:

• art therapy
• dance/movement therapy
• drama therapy
• photo therapy
• poetry therapy.

"Art allows us to externalize what's happening on the inside," explains Nisha Sajnani, president of the Creative Arts in Counselling Chapter of the Canadian Counselling Association. "The creative arts therapies can provide a means of reflecting on what is past and remind us of our ability to create our future." Art makes it possible to acknowledge, express and integrate life experience, she notes, and this appears to promote healing.

According to the Creative Arts in Counselling Chapter, there are many ways that creative arts therapies can improve quality of life. For those with mental health needs, for instance, creative arts therapies provide a non-threatening environment for exploring feelings and self-esteem. For those with substance abuse problems, creative arts therapies can help people confront barriers to recovery. In people who have sustained head injuries, creative art therapies can facilitate self-expression, reduce isolation and pave the way for cognitive re-training. In those with developmental disabilities, creative art therapies can provide the structure in which cognitive, motor and daily living skills can be learned.

The creative arts provide a wide variety of ways in which to express yourself. Using dance, drama, sculpture or painting, for instance, you can open yourself up to an experience for which you may not have words. "The creative arts therapies use the language of movement, sound and images in addition to words," says Sajnani. "Your life stories can become more accessible when you approach them through the language of metaphor."

Journey of self-discovery

Creative arts therapy is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to delve into a journey of self-discovery that promotes health and healing. Many programs are offered for free or at a reduced cost through local health and community services. Take an art class, a drama class or a dance class, suggests Sajnani. "Take the risk to get to know your creative self. We are inherently creative beings," she adds, "and working through a creative process can highlight what strengths and resources you already have that you may not be as familiar with. Creative arts therapy can foster health and facilitate change."