Day 18 ~ Mending the Makers, Making the Menders; Art & Healing

$16.99 to Buy and Print This or
Buy the Inverted Digital File of this Colored Pencil Drawing

Using the anecdotal stories of four artists, an introduction to Pain Exhibit, Inc., and a description of Music Therapy to convey the ethos and remedies of pain, The September ACPA Chronicle features the use of art in pain management and rehabilitation.

"I would have never considered it a coping strategy before I went to a pain management program 34 years ago. As part of our regular daily activities,we went to creative therapy and experimented with a variety of art forms,such as leather work, copper enameling,or other crafts. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I often got lost in the process of creating. It gave my mind, and in some sense, my body, a rest. It didn’t matter what I created; it was the process that mattered." 

~Penny Cowan, Executive Director ACPA

"Art therapy has shown tremendous benefits in helping individuals cope with the negative feelings associated with any illness—from cancer to anxiety to depression.The creative outlet helps the affected accept their “new normal,” improve sleep, and enhance their overall outlook on life. Even Vincent Van Gogh reportedly used his art to manage his various ailments." 

~ Erin Hart, An Artistic Approach to Pain Management, ACPA Sep 2013

"Throughout history, the idea of a universal energy pervading all nature has been held by many Western scientific minds. This vital energy , perceived as a luminous body , was first recorded in the Western literature by the Pythagoreans around 500 B.C. They held that its light could produce a variety of effects in the human organism, including the cure of illness."

 ~Barbara Brennan, Hands of Light

"All true sacred art is alive with the spiritual energies of the maker." ~Judith Cornell

"...our notions  of physical reality can never be final. We must always be ready to change these notions." ~ Albert Einstein
Mending the makers, Making the Menders: A list of Art and Healing Resources
Healing Artists
Children's Healing Art Project (CHAP)
Healing With Art : Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Foundation for Art & Healing
Art & Healing [amazon books]
Art As Healing
Art4Healing
Art and Health Psychology Today
Healing Art Projects to try Crizmac Art Therapy Exercises From Art & Soul
Veteran Artist Program
Buddha Doodles ~ Molly Hahn
Arts & Healing Network ~Grants/Support