The Benefits - Art Health and Healing

“Studies show that incorporating the arts in our healing strategies can save money and improve well-being and experience of both the patient and physician.”

-Rachel Hajar, MD

“Connecting art with wellness, health, and healing, I want to use art for that purpose and put people in a different state of mind.”

-Paul Braswell, Registered Nurse, Art Collector

IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES THROUGH ART IS A LARGELY UNTAPPED RESOURCE

The value of art therapy in health and healing is well known among health care providers. And, it’s now known that patients can achieve benefits not only by creating art but also simply by consuming it. Emotional, physical, and general well-being can be improved using the healing powers of art that can advance therapeutic outcomes and strengthen results.

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VIEWING ART IMPROVES OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL BEING

Setting aside a few hours to stroll through a gallery, or to attend an art exhibit at a museum, has a proven link to good health and life satisfaction. Experiencing art can also help lower anxiety, alleviate depression, and improve critical thinking, delivering positive consequences with significant results for all of us.

The clever healing mechanism of art, regardless of subjectivity of beauty or topic, is that art can engage our brain’s reward system. Simply viewing art can lead to the release of dopamine, a
Art may free the brain from the limitations of reality, allowing it to forge new emotional and cognitive associations. Consequently, introducing art into patients’ environments can help patients’ brains be more relaxed and potentially stimulate more healing and quicker recover.

Clinical Benefits of Arts & Crafts

Improves vital signs
Reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol
Lowers the amount of medication required to induce sleep
Decreases the need for narcotic pain medication
Speeds hospital discharge time

Emotional Benefits of Arts & Crafts

Reduces symptoms of emotional distress
Boosts psychological well-being and resilience
Improves coping ability
Facilitates expression of feelings
Enhances self-worth and self-esteem
Enables the maintenance of social identity

MORE POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR HEALTH PROVIDERS

The very good news is that these rewards are not limited to patients. Experts now believe that viewing art can also help physicians improve the care they give their patients.

Based on accumulating evidence that art can make for better doctors, Harvard Medical School and the University of Chicago are offering new courses that require their medical students to view art. The goal will be to improve healthcare providers’ understanding of disease and to refine their observation skills, leading to better patient care through art.

Placing art in healthcare settings enriches both the patients’ chances of recovery and the healthcare providers’ performance. That magical combination taps into the power of art, achieving success and wellness in a mutually beneficial partnership for everyone.

“Artistic work, taken as the effective conveyance of emotions, is vital for human beings as a means of catharsis, communication, knowledge, joy and pleasure, both at an individual and a collective level.”