Draw your way to health? It’s possible, with what we are learning now about the effects of creativity and art imagery on our physical and emotional health.
I wish all physicians would add a box of crayons to their diagnostic And therapeutic tools. –Bernie Siegel, M.D. in his book Peace, Love, and Healing”
Did you ever think you’d hear a doctor say “Draw two pictures and call me in the morning”? Today more medical professionals are prescribing art for their patients as a powerful tool for getting-and staying-well.
It’s not such a strange idea. After all, each of our lives is in some sense a work of art, and we are its creators. We can choose to pay attention to our bodies and feelings, and give ourselves what we need to build lives that are healthy and whole.
But now art is meeting life in an exciting new way. A child expresses her symptoms more accurately with pictures than words; an art therapy group brings hope and relief to patients of AIDS; a woman uses painting to connect with painful emotions after the trauma of rape. These bring to us a deeper appreciation for art-as a creative, healing force.
The Power of Pictures
Imagery has a profound effect on the immune system and the body’s ability to heal. The images can be mental, as in the case of visualization and dreams, or physical, as in pictures, paintings and the like. By visualizing their recovery, people suffering from cancer and other serious illnesses are translating thoughts into reality.
Meanwhile, by creating images through drawing, painting or making a collage, people are more able to deal with pain and to identify feelings, as well as physical symptoms. This is not to suggest that art replaces the role of traditional medicine, but rather acts as a complement to such treatment. You should still go to see your doctor, but on the way home, pick up a box of crayons. You Can Draw
As children, most of us loved to draw. In All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum observes that as we age we tend to forget how good it feels to express ourselves artistically.
Go to a class of 5-year-old children and ask them if they can draw or paint. You’ll hear a resounding yes. Their faces will be animated and bright, the children will smile-they may even offer to make a picture for you! But ask a group of adults if they can draw or paint and you’ll likely see a very different response. Some people will look down, as if ashamed of their inability. Others will say they haven’t tried for many years, maybe even since childhood.
But crayons and paints are not just for kids. If you have any doubt that you can draw, grab a pen and start moving it across a paper. Make lines, shapes or figures. Don’t try to judge what you’re doing, just allow yourself to do it. Then look at the page, again without judgment. See-you can draw. You just did! Maybe you even had a little fun.
What You Need to Get Started
* Colored crayons, pencil crayons or markers-whichever you prefer
* Unlined white paper (8 1/2″ x 11″ or larger)
* A quiet, comfortable place, free from interruptions
Activities for Your Health
Try these activities when you want to, and approach them with an open mind rather than a sense of obligation. If it starts to feel like a chore or burden, take a break or set the page aside for another day.
Now you’re ready to try one of the exercises:
* Sit quietly and try to tune-in to how you’re feeling. If your feelings had a color, what color would they be? Do they have a shape, pattern or texture? Try drawing your feelings on paper. Let yourself explore and have fun. Try not to judge whether it looks “good”. Label the back of the drawing with a number and date.
When you’ve made several-over the course of a day or several days-take A look at your drawings and see if you can get a sense of the feelings and how they change.
* Sit quietly and let your breathing slow down as you breathe in and out more deeply. Scan your body for pain or other sensations (such as numbness, tingling, hot or cold). Start at your right foot and move up your leg to the knee, thigh and hip, then repeat for the left side. How does it feel?
Then be aware of your stomach, chest, and back. Do you notice any sensations? Now pay attention to your right hand and move up your arm to your elbow and shoulder, then repeat for the left side. Finally, pay attention to your neck, jaw, face and scalp. How do they feel?
Now take a piece of paper and draw an outline of your body using your non-dominant hand. Then color in the sensations you observed during the body scan.
As in the previous activity, once you’ve made several take a look at your drawings and see if you can get a sense of how your body is feeling and how that changes.
* Consider the drawing(s) you made from the body scan exercise above.
Now take a fresh sheet of paper, and using your non-dominant hand draw an outline of your body, but this time draw in the sensations you would like to feel. Imagine what it would feel like to be healthy. You can even title this drawing “healthy”.
Put your picture in a place so you can see it often. Use it to visualize how your body feels when it is healthy and alive. You can be that person!
This is just a sample of drawing exercises that you can use to be more Aware of how you’re feeling, and to visualize (even actualize!) a healthier you.
If you’re interested in trying more activities, take a look at Lucia Capacchione’s The Creative Journal or The Picture of Health, both excellent guidebooks for enlisting your own creative healing powers.
Discover the colors and shapes in your life. Whether you choose to draw Or paint or arrange images in a collage, remember that you are a creative person, and you can create a healthier you.
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