Whether You Draw Stick Figures or Make Masterpieces, Making Art Reduces Stress Hormones

A study conducted at Drexel University in 2016 found that just 45 minutes of drawing, collaging and squishing clay into art-shaped forms, instantly lowered physiological stress in the body.

How do they know Art Therapy reduces stress?

They measured 39 participants' cortisol stress hormone levels in their saliva before and after their creative session. They confirmed this with testimonials too:

“It was very relaxing,” one wrote. “After about five minutes, I felt less anxious. I was able to obsess less about things that I had not done or need [ed] to get done. Doing art allowed me to put things into perspective.”

Unexpectedly,  Girija Kaimal, EdD, assistant professor of creative arts therapies found that stress was reduced equally for everybody regardless of their skill level or previous artistic experience. She also found no difference between the effectiveness of different materials like clay, collaging or drawing.

So, yes. Art therapy will help even you.

Ok, why does Art Therapy actually work then?

There's five main reasons why making art is so healing really, according to more research.

1. It helps you recognise and validate your own emotions

People say that it helps them to be present in the moment in their bodies with their feelings. By staying really present with it and drawing it on the page, you are allowing things to be felt and take up space from a safe place. You teach yourself that you are a safe place to experience the full human experience, and the whole spectrum of feelings.

2. It helps you integrate conflicting feelings & strengthen your identity

Conflicting feelings are allowed to all be together and be more coherent on one page, and in you as a person. So people have reported feeling a stronger, more positive sense of identity after art therapy. 

3. It helps you self regulate 

Unlike talk therapy, art therapy is a more intuitive, subconscious experience that only you can have inside yourself. It also lets you experiment with using your imagination to visualise your own solutions. And it lets you practice different responses to your problems, without relying on others. It teaches you to connect to your own inner guidance, rather than looking outside yourself for answers.

4. It helps you change your behaviour 

This includes your behaviour towards yourself as well as others. Your self talk improves. They think this is because of the self-directed nature of art therapy, it involves making your own choices and deciding how you will go about expressing yourself.

5. It gives you more insight

This one may be obvious, but true. Art therapy helps you acknowledge feelings that you may not always be able to put into words. Once you have the picture, it even helps you put the experience into words because you can reflect and talk about the image.

 So is Art Therapy for you? Book a free online consultation with me to find out.