Chronic pain patients often comment that they find their experiences beyond expression. There are no words to describe the journey they have taken. Talk therapy has been exhausted; they feel "stuck" and isolated from others. Language has limits, but art is restricted only by the imagination. Art therapy can add another dimension to the therapeutic process, often providing avenues for increased insight and self-expression.

 

Patients don't have to be artists.  They don't have to even understand what they are drawing at the time. Patients are encouraged to keep their art and to reflect on it over the ensuing months. With time, the art brings a deeper understanding of their present situation and of their deeper emotional state. The art tells the patient's "story," their perception of themselves, their past and present challenges and even their life goals or dreams.  Art can provide a starting point from which to establish a dialogue with the patient.  This can allow for the dialogue to be done from a distance by using the metaphors and characters from the art piece. Often, this allows for greater self-disclosure as the art can feel less personal and intrusive than talk therapy.

 

The art can allow patients to process events still lodged in the unconsciousness. Events that remain unexplained, unrecognized, or even untreated can later appear as physical ailments. It is often much easier for a patient to present a physical complaint than a psychological one. Art therapy can also be done in such a manner as to lift the taboo of traditional talk therapy.  Patients may choose to convey their feelings by sending the message through the art.