When dealing with the complex emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis, don’t underestimate the healing power of art. It can be a constructive way to express yourself, channel your frustration and anger and calm your mind. There’s even a particular type of counseling dedicated to it, simply called art therapy.
“By using different art processes—drawing, painting and ceramics, for example—you can better understand and dive more deeply into your thoughts and feelings,” says Calliandra Perry, MA, LPC, ATR, a registered art therapist at Henry Ford Health. “While we do talk in art therapy, sometimes words are limiting, so this is another way to express yourself. We use colors, lines and symbols to express internal states.”
With each art therapy session, you may tackle a different issue: You can contemplate how you’re feeling about becoming someone who is being taken care of instead of caring for others. You may be grieving your former life, your former self, your former body.
"Cancer puts so much of someone’s life on hold, so we do a lot of grief work in art therapy,” says Perry. “We explore who they were before the diagnosis, and who this new person is they need to love.”
5 Benefits of Art Therapy
Here, Perry shares five reasons to try art therapy.
1. Art therapy can decrease stress and increase mood.
“When you create art, it lowers your cortisol (stress) level and can actually change the chemicals in your brain,” Perry says. “Most people find it has a strong, calming effect. There are many studies that prove the power of art.”
Art therapy also offers an opportunity to learn new skills, build confidence and explore self-esteem. “Patients who use art therapy can see an increase in mood, along with a decrease in sadness and anxiety. They may feel more in control of their life and diagnosis,” Perry says.
And you don’t have to be an artist to benefit from art therapy. If you’re unsure of yourself, Perry recommends starting with something small, like a coloring sheet.
2. Art therapy can help you express your cancer journey.
“Art therapists use color, lines and symbols to express internal states," Perry says. "So we can tell someone, ‘If your journey through cancer started with a seed at diagnosis, now that you are in remission, how has that tree grown? What does that seed look like now?’ Together, we will unpack what they make. I’ll ask them to tell me about the leaves, roots, colors, apples or flowers. The goal is to help people look at their art through a lens that provides deeper insight about their journey.”
3. Art therapy can help reduce physical pain from cancer treatments.
“We use a technique called body mapping,” Perry explains. “Using a sheet of paper with an outline of a human figure on it, you draw representations of your pain. Is the pain sharp or dull? Is it hot or cold? Are you numb? What colors and shapes can you associate with it? Can you draw a picture of what your body feels like?”
This is externalizing your pain. After that, you destroy and transform your pain by drawing, on top of the original, what it will feel like when your cancer treatment is over.
“The psychological effect of externalizing how you feel, followed by an opportunity to take the pain and turn it into something pleasant, has a strong psychological effect on pain,” Perry says. “If, on a scale of 1 to 10, your pain was at a 7 at the start of your session, you may feel a reduction to a 5 or 6 after the session.”
Healing Arts at Henry Ford
4. Those who feel ill-equipped or unable to create can also benefit from art therapy.
“Many of my oncology patients use all of their energy getting in the door for treatment,” Perry says. “So instead of asking them to create, I empower them by giving them the creative reins. They tell me what to make and which colors to use. And since they’re in charge, they still get the benefits of accomplishment. When the art is done, whether they made it or made it through my hands, there’s still an emotional and mental dialogue that happens.”
Even if you feel like you’re not artistic or creative, art therapy is still a powerful healing tool. The key is breaking through the glass boxes we create for ourselves. “I encourage people to start small with something like a coloring sheet or a simple origami bird,” Perry says. “Art therapy is about having fun through self-exploration – not winning an art prize.”
5. Art therapy can help family members cope, too.
Close family members who are also struggling with a loved one’s cancer diagnosis can also benefit from art therapy. “Art therapy can help them grapple with the difficult emotions and changes they’re dealing with,” Perry says. “No one is immune from the healing power of art.”
Reviewed by Calliandra Perry, MA, LPC, ATR, a registered art therapist who works with cancer patients at Henry Ford Health.
