A very dangerous, stressful or horrifying incident is something no one can completely prepare to deal with — both in the moment and beyond. Depending on the severity, coping can be challenging, and some never fully recover.

People who experience a traumatic life event may have a difficult time expressing their thoughts and emotions through standard treatment methods — such as verbal counseling. This is where art therapy comes in.

Art therapy is a psychiatric treatment that can be used to treat trauma-induced behavior. A patient creates art to help them explore their thoughts and emotions through a visual medium in a guided verbal counseling session with a licensed professional.

In the complicated realm of trauma healing, this form of treatment adds another dimension. It can be more effective than just traditional talk therapy — in some cases, because of how trauma affects the brain.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is when a person experiences an extremely frightening or distressing incident — or series of events — that leaves a lasting impact on their behavior and mental health. It comes in many different forms and affects people of all ages in varying levels of severity.

In one way or another, about one-half of U.S. adults will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime.

How Trauma Effects the Brain

A traumatic event can significantly alter multiple areas of the brain because of the intense, overwhelming stress the person feels in the moment. These changes can make it difficult and more complicated to treat effectively.

There are three areas — parts of the limbic system — most affected by an incident:

Amygdala

This part is at the bottom of the brain and is responsible for detecting threats and processing emotions.

When a patient is reminded of a traumatic experience, the amygdala thrusts the patient into the emotional state they felt during the event, as if it is happening all over again.

Hippocampus

This section is also toward the bottom of the brain and is responsible for memory.

A traumatic experience disrupts the hippocampus’s function, making distinguishing between the past and present difficult. The memory of the incident can trigger feelings as if it is happening again, possibly sending the victim into a dissociative state in severe cases.

Prefrontal Cortex

This is another area of the brain responsible for regulating emotions and impulses.

Being reminded of the event can send the patient into a reactive state. They will find it hard to control their fear or defensive responses.

How Art Therapy Helps

Just as a person’s brain is significantly distorted to react and cope with the aftermath of a traumatic event, it can be undone and “re-wired.”

Making art can create new neuropathways in the brain. Using creative exercise as therapy can bring together mind-body connectedness and link conscious and unconscious mental activity, helping patients tap into their trauma on a deeper level.

Here are the benefits of art therapy with trauma patients:

• Feel more in control of their lives
• Manage pain by moving mental focus away from the painful stimulus

• Reduce conflicts and distress
• Improve cognitive functions
• Build self-esteem
• Enhance emotional resilience and social skills
• Lower stress and anxiety levels
• Increase positive emotions
• Feel more relaxed
• Promote better quality of life

Art therapy achieves these benefits because it opens the door for patients to explore their traumas in a safe medium where they have complete control. It allows patients to access and express traumatic memories through symbols, helping them approach their thoughts and emotions differently.

Also, because making art calms the nervous system, the exercise can relax them as they discuss such a distressing topic, leading to better therapy sessions overall.

Somatization and Talk Therapy Limitations

Above all, it’s essential for a counseling patient to be comfortable with the medium. And while talk therapy can be helpful, sometimes it can be ineffective, as some traumatic memories are stored nonverbally in the body, or the mind has difficulty recalling them; this is known as somatization.

Art therapy has been particularly helpful in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military service members, who often struggle to express their feelings related to their experiences verbally. There are also many patients who endure traumatic events they don’t remember well — such as incidents in early childhood — where the mind isn’t fully aware of the trauma, but the body holds onto it.

Consult a Professional 

Before starting art therapy, you should consult an art therapist or psychiatric professional. Do not attempt sessions alone or with unlicensed support.

Use the American Art Therapy’s Art Therapist Locator and Zocdoc’s Art Therapy Finder to find professionals near you.

If you thought this article was helpful and informative, visit southernconsumers.org to learn more about how the Southern Consumers Alliance can support you.

---