How Can Art Therapy Help with Depression

Many people experience lower moods, and less energy at this time of year with darker days, minimal sunlight and stressors of day to day life. Tafet & Nemeroff (2015), discuss the correlations between elevated stress and development of depression. Many people’s mental health can be impacted on a small or larger scale at this time of year and during the winter months which is why it is important to find ways to help. In this article I share three ways art therapy can help with depression.

1. Relieves stress. The process of art making and art therapy has been well document for relieving stress, and as we mentioned earlier in this article high levels of stress over periods of time can be a precursor to the development of depressive symptoms. Malchiodi (2011) speaks to the art making process bringing the person outside of their personal struggles and refocusing their attention on positive sensations of exploration, relaxation, and stimulating change; a key part of depression recovery.
2. Boosts mood. There is a growing body of research of art therapy’s positive impact on mood and feelings of happiness. One of the “happiness” feel-good chemicals dopamine has been shown by research to increase in the art making process. Mitchell (2012) shares the experience of viewing art having similar brain activity to those experiencing love.
3. Supports self-expression & self-discovery. Engaging in the arts allows windows of opportunities to better understand and make sense of our emotional worlds and experiences, which in turn often lead to greater self-discovery. Self-expression has been documented as a key factor in recovery from depression. Hu et al. (2021) speaks to art therapy strengthening a patient’s emotional expression, self-esteem and self-awareness. Many people I have worked with develop a greater connection with creative expression and build their practice of this outside of session, in turn strengthening the possible coping skills to draw upon outside of the therapy space.

​If you need additional support reach out to me, I am Nicole Levy, and I am here as your helping hand, let’s get started, book your complimentary no pressure initial consult today https://www.mindfulhealingjourney.ca/#/