HOW DOES ART HEAL?

Before we develop the ability to use language, our experiences are stored in the form of images, sensations, and feelings in the right hemisphere of the brain. As we grow, the part of our brain that is responsible for language is formed in the left hemisphere.

​In a perfect world, healthy attachments with caregivers foster and integrate all hemispheres and structures of the brain and we learn how to regulate ourselves when we feel upset, as we use words to express emotions and describe our experiences.

In the real world, however, there aren't always attentive caregivers and sometimes bad things happen. We may find ourselves feeling stuck and see the same, unhealthy patterns play out over and over again in various relationships or settings of our lives.

​Traditional talk therapy engages the left hemisphere of the brain, as it uses logic and reasoning to understand thoughts and behavioral patterns. While it plays an important role in healing, verbalizing one's problems, thoughts, and behaviors does not fully access the root issues.

Creative modalities, such as artmaking, music, and kinesthetic movement are powerful tools for healing because they have the ability to access the right hemisphere of the brain and unlock the images, sensations and emotions associated with trauma and grief.

Once these experiences are accessed, the left hemisphere can then make sense of them. All parts of the brain can then work together to safely experience and process trauma and grief. A cohesive narrative is developed. The brain can then be whole.