Effective Art Therapy To Treat Trauma

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), one of the anxiety disorders, is characterized by severe symptoms of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal because of one or more traumatizing experiences. PTSD is diagnosed when the duration of the symptoms is more than 1 month and the disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Evidence-based treatments such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) are most recommended in PTSD treatment. Although these treatments have proved to be effective, it has been stated by several authors (Bisson et al., 2007a; Bradley, Greene, Russ, Dutra, & Weaten, 2005; Harvey, Bryant, & Tarrier, 2003) that more than 30% of the clients do not benefit from these treatments. Many of these patients suffer from prolonged and multiple exposure to trauma or have a poor verbal memory. For these patients, no alternative evidence-based treatment has been recommended yet.

Art therapy can offer an alternative appropriate treatment for these patients because it appears to fit in with the often wordless and nonverbal nature of traumatic memories. Art therapy is one of the creative art therapies (along with music therapy, play therapy, and dance therapy). The creative art therapies differ from other therapies by their experiential and nonverbal character. Characteristic for art therapy is the methodical use of art means as drawing, painting, collage, and sculpting to shape and express feelings, thoughts, and memories.

Art therapy is distinguished from other forms of treatment by active performing and experiencing with art materials, by the visual and concrete character of the process as well as by the result of art making. In clinical practice, art therapy is mostly applied in combination with trauma-focused psychotherapy such as EMDR, TF-CGT, and Narrative Exposure Therapy. Art therapy is also applied in multidisciplinary trauma-focused day treatment or inpatient clinical treatment.

The aim of art therapy is to elicit processes of change, development, and acceptance, using art (like drawing, painting, collage, and sculpting) in a purposeful and methodical way in the treatment of psychosocial problems and mental disorders. Art therapy experts have described the benefits of art therapy in the treatment of PTSD. Decrease in primary PTSD symptoms and global clinical improvement have been frequently reported as outcomes of art therapy. For instance, Collie, Backos, Malchiodi, and Spiegel (2006) describe art therapy in PTSD treatment as helpful in decreasing reexperience, arousal, and less visible symptoms as avoidance and emotional numbing. Art therapy enables the processing of traumatic experiences by accessing and integrating traumatic memories, by communicating and documenting images of traumatic memories and through rituals Smeijsters (2008) states that therapeutic art interventions provide the possibility to distance oneself from emotion and provide cognitive integration of emotion and stimulate meaning-making processes. According to official guidelines for PTSD treatment the creative arts therapies can be helpful in reducing depression and trauma-related symptoms such as alexithymia, dissociation, anxiety, nightmares, and sleep problems.

Information provided by the following source:
Schouten, Niet, G. J. D., Knipscheer, J. ., Kleber, R. ., & Hutschemaekers, G. J. . (2015). The
Effectiveness of Art Therapy in the Treatment of Traumatized Adults: A Systematic Review on Art Therapy and Trauma. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 16(2), 220–228.