The Healing Arts

Artist with autism Stephen Wiltshire has an uncanny gift for capturing any scene on paper with photographic accuracy. But is it the result of a mental aberration, the mind of a savant, or the work of an outsider artist? Or perhaps it’s neurodiversity.

Our perceptions of severe or chronic pain aren’t always apparent on a CT scan or MRI. When chronic pain is inexpressible, art conveys—and transcends—suffering.

Pachyderms from Milwaukee to Thailand are painting. But is it for pure pleasure or just for the money? And what does it have to do with health and well being in humans?

Maybe you don’t take it with you, but you’ve got soul. Keeping it central to daily life can be a path to a sense of wellness. So go ahead, sing that silly song.

There seems to be an increasing body of evidence to support the view that certain music can change a bad Bowser to a more even-keeled canine. If your furry best friend is feeling a little anxious or stressed, it may be time to pop a CD into that surround sound system. But what would be best: Metallica, Beatles, or Vivaldi?

Are smart people just naturally attracted to study art or perform music, dance, or drama? Or does early education in the arts actually cause changes in the brain that develop important components of cognition? Recent findings show that there may be some significant causal relationships between arts training and the brain's ability to learn.

Some of you are probably wondering why Psychology Today would have a blog called “The Healing Arts.” My world view of health and healing grew from more than two decades of working as an art therapist and expressive arts therapist, a professional who uses all the arts [visual, music, dance and movement, drama, creative writing, and play] as modalities to help people recover, restore, and revitalize. After more than 20 years of engaging in this work and making it an almost daily practice in my own life, I have come to believe that art and imagination are equally as important to health and well-being as balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and meditation.