Art a day keeps doctor away....

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is very true not only for children who often have problems talking about their painful experiences,but also in various mental health patients.

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy. Through the use of artistic expressions and other diagnostic procedures, doctors will be able to more accurately treat patients. Ayurvedic physician, Dr.Vikas Chothe practicing art therapy at Astha deaddiction centre says, “Sometimes disturbed people cannot tell others about their feelings and thoughts. Art therapy not only allows them to tell their stories, it is also a healing process.“Through art, doctors will be able to analyse what they have gone through, what is on their minds and recommend the appropriate treatment. Case studies have involved many areas including burn recovery in adolescents and young children, eating disorders, emotional impairment in young children, reading performance, childhood grief, and sexual abuse in adolescents”
Dr. Vaibhav Lunkad says one of his patients refused to talk about her problem. For several sessions, she remained silent and uncooperative. Realising that the normal approach was not working, he decided to give her paper and colorful crayons, and encouraged her to draw anything she wanted. She began to open up. Her sketches were dark and gloomy, reflections of her severe depression. She had been sexually and physically abused, and using her paintings, she communicated her traumatic experiences.
Dr. Vasudev Paraliker, Pune’s renowned Psychiatrist says art therapy is not a cure for mental illness, rather it is one of the methods to better understand patients and help them on their road to recovery. “The famous painter Van Gogh suffered from mental illness, too. Famous Mexican artist Freida Cahlo told her stories through her paintings. It shows that everybody has a creative element within, and the tool for them to express their state of mind is art.” The cause of mental disturbances are often preceded by emotional stress and difficulty coping with conflict or adjusting to adverse events. Depression occurs among all ages and the causes include family environment, life events, biological factors, a serious loss and stress. Symptoms include talkativeness, mood changes, stress, risk-taking behavior and sleeplessness, alternating with symptoms of depression. Anxiety is one of the more common reactions to mental stress.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Bharat Sarode says art helps express feelings that are difficult to put into words, thereby releasing feelings in a safe and acceptable way, and promoting spontaneity and creativity.“When the patient draws, he is expressing his feelings through art. This process is his way of making contact with people by letting them to his inner world. Art therapy can help patients cope with their illness, and alleviates symptoms of anxiety, intrusive memories and pre-occupation.”To raise awareness on the importance of art therapy to explore intense or painful thoughts, dreams, feelings in a supportive environment Centre for Creative Healing Art Therapy is organizing Creative Art Therapy Workshop at the Centre for Biofield Sciences. MIT College, Pune.
Dr. Vikas Chothe, who is organising the workshop, says art therapy is beneficial to people who are suffering from mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and language and learning disabilities. Dr.Atul Rakshe says that Art therapy can be used to help people manage physical and emotional problems by using creative activities to express emotions. It provides a way for people to come to terms with emotional conflicts, increase self-awareness, and express unspoken and often unconscious concerns about their illness and their lives. Creative art therapy may also include dance and movement, drama, poetry, photo therapy and others, as well as the more traditional art methods.

Shaam Kodilkar, art therapist practicing since 29 years in Mumbai pointed to a painting by a child that depicts an incomplete family of duck including a big duck with two ducklings. She later named it as -Crying duck “After completing the painting she explained that there was no male father duck as he had no time to stay with the mother duck and ducklings, which made the ducklings cry.” Dr Vikas says the goals of art therapy are to encourage expressions, increase self-esteem and support network, encourage group cohesion and stronger self-identity. Art therapists are trained to recognize the nonverbal symbols and metaphors that are communicated within the creative process. Art therapy has been used with bone marrow transplant patients, people with eating disorders, emotionally impaired young people, disabled people, the chronically ill, chemically addicted individuals, sexually abused adolescents, caregivers of cancer patients, and others. (To participate in the workshop contact creativehealingarttherapy@gmail.com or 9922916025)