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Today I am going to share some insight into the benefits of Art therapy. In the context of our agency, Arts-based therapy provides those recovering from a stroke with an outlet to express themselves through visual arts such as painting and sculpting. The use of arts-based therapies is beneficial as it facilitates whole-body and mind connection. It also challenges individuals who have had a stroke to use their affected limbs.

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According to research, patients who have participated in arts-based therapies have reported that it has “increased their self-esteem by creating their own artwork and receiving positive feedback from others.” Art therapy can also provide patients a time of relaxation and distraction. Overall, the benefits of incorporating arts-based therapies into the treatment of stroke survivors include:

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· Promoting whole body and mind connection

· Boosting self-confidence and lowering depression

· Enhancing quality of life

· Providing peer support

· Providing a distraction

· Providing an outlet of self-expression for non-verbal individuals

Art therapy enriches lives through the production of art and the creative process. It is not limited to visual creations and can include music and dance. It can be used to improve anything from cognition to self-esteem and emotional support. It is especially effective for those with difficulties with communication and expressing themselves.

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At Community Care for South Hastings, we have been extremely fortunate in our ability to offer Art therapy sessions to many of our stroke survivors as our sessions have been voluntarily facilitated by a local student, Jodi Cooper. While everyone may have just viewed the sessions as a great deal of fun, there is a therapeutic component guiding their work. Some of the discussions held during the sessions included the following:

· Art therapy is based on the belief that self-expression and participating in the creative process have the ability to enhance healing.

· Notice the focus is on the creative process. It is not about the end result and making pretty pictures or “art”. Everyone can participate in the creative process and experience the benefits of creating with art materials.

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· Creating with art materials can help increase our resilience because the creative process is both messy and unpredictable. Often the final product is not what we planned or expected.

· The creative process can help build new pathways in our brains to help us tap into our creativity and can also help us with our fine motor skills through the handling of art materials.

· The creative process can help reduce stress. Scientists have discovered that when we are immersed in the creative process and entering that state of flow or being “in the zone” our body makes less of the stress related chemical, cortisol. The creative process can calm the mind and body, while at the same time heightening positive feelings of happiness.

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· The creative process can help us tap into our inner strengths and the final products can become symbols for our personal achievement. Making it a habit to practice some creativity regularly can help us weather life’s ups and downs by being able to access our own inner strengths more quickly.

Now that we are fully familiar with the beneficial aspects of art therapy, the CCSH stroke survivors are excited to invite you to the Bayview Mall on Friday December 8th from 1pm to 4pm for our “Healing Strokes Art Exhibit”. We invite you to see the power of ART as a healing tool in the stroke recovery. Please join us to view their creations and hear their stories. Everyone is welcome!

Information in this column is compiled by Shell-Lee Wert, CCSH, 470 Dundas Street East, Unit 63, Belleville, K8N 1G1. Please visit our website at https://ccsh.ca or email me at [email protected], or call 613-969-0130 or 613-396-6591 for information and assistance. Community Care is a proud United Way member agency. Funding in part from Ontario Health East.

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