If you’re living with a condition like depression, anxiety, or recovering from trauma, you may have a hard time talking about how you feel. Expressive therapy through writing, art, music, drama, or dance could be a healing outlet.
How Expressive Therapy Works
This form of treatment uses creative activities to help you share and process feelings and memories that may be hard to put into words. It’s also called expressive arts therapy, art therapy, creative arts therapy, or experiential therapy.
This field began in the 1940s when psychologists started paying attention to their patients’ drawings. The sketches sometimes told them more about what a person was thinking or feeling than they learned from talking to that patient.
In an expressive therapy session, a trained therapist guides you through the process of expressing yourself through art. It’s usually a mix of different activities, but sometimes therapists focus on just one. For example, writing or keeping a journal might be better for someone who is new to therapy. If you’ve been in therapy for a while, you might be more interested in dance or drama. You can try expressive therapy by itself or along with talk therapy.
You don’t have to be “good” at the art form you use during your sessions. The focus of expressive therapy is the process itself, not the results.
Conditions It May Treat
Expressive therapy is an option for children and adults with different types of mental health concerns, including:
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Autism and other developmental conditions
- Eating disorders
- High stress levels
- Traumatic brain injury
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Ongoing medical conditions
Types
Types of expressive therapy include:
Music therapy. This treatment involves playing, singing, listening, or moving to music. Research has shown that it can ease anxiety. It may also lift their mood.
Art therapy. You use painting, drawing, sculpting, or another art form to process or express heavy thoughts and emotions. One study of women with cancer found art therapy helped them focus on the more positive parts of their lives. It also boosted their confidence.
Dance therapy. Different types of dance or movement can help ease stress and anxiety. It may also improve your physical health. One study found it helped breast cancer survivors move better.
Drama therapy. Theater methods such as role-playing, voice work, storytelling, and movement can promote mental health and personal growth. A few studies have found that it can help people with general stress and depression as well as some with serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, or bipolar disorder.
Talk to your doctor or therapist if you’d like to try expressive arts therapy. They can help you decide what might work for you.
