Artistic impressions in psychological effects - Essay Example

Artistic impressions in psychological effects. Introduction Mental health entails several aspects including environmental, physical and biological; these are the major factors that determine the emotional and physical well-being of people. Emotional health is a composite of the above aspects, and therefore, in times of medical and mental health intervention, a holistic mode of treatment should be included as it encompasses all ecological factors. Research has shown that incorporating artistic impressions in the healing process is highly effective in influencing moods, emotions, feelings and other psychological effects. Since the time of the philosophers Aristotle and Plato, the application of music as a therapy in treatment methods has been a dependable concept. It was used in the post-world war period in which veterans of the war were sung to in hospitals so that they could overcome both physical and psychological trauma. Since then, we have witnessed music used in therapy for those facing medical challenges with consistent research indicating that it is highly effective. Moreover, brain studies show that music helps to calm people down as it has an effect on the receptors in such a way that hearing soft, pleasant tones subdues the pain. Other activities under expressive or art therapy such as composing music and singing have been seen to reduce the heart rate and consequently blood pressure which, in turn, results in the stabilization of moods. Use of Expressive Therapy The main aim of innovative or expressive therapies is to engage the individual’s emotions through the control of meaningful actions which can involve the feelings of a person in a direct physical way1. The art of expressive therapy makes us understand that it is possible to infiltrate the most challenging and complex issues through creative imagination. The need for innovative treatment remains imperative to young men and women who suffer from low self-esteem due to reduced satisfaction on how they look or feel. Additionally, researchers have proven that storytelling is a direct attribute to the well-being of patients who undergo therapeutic procedures. Additionally, music is a universal and readily accessible tool for therapy and can serve a great purpose in the recovery aspects of medical and mental health issues. Psychological distress and reducing the perception of self-worth is among the most challenging issues world-wide. The need for identifying the critical means to solve this problem is, therefore, necessary. There are several approaches including holistic avenues that are used in the enhancement of self-worth, including songs and folktales. People tend to shape emotional aspects of the things that they go through, where their emotional disposition revolves around the encounters and struggle’s they come across in life. Creative therapies may help them shape their conceptions, and eventually, this can help an individual develop a sense of self-worth. Social support groups and local organizations are also productive avenues for emotional recovery for those suffering from emotional problems. These groups help establish an entity through which the affected individuals can associate by developing a sense of belonging. Songs have a great way of inspiring, and therefore, they provide an excellent channel for people to share and relate their stories. Contemporary research studies have led to the development of various approaches to the attainment of a high sense of self-worth which includes: storytelling, writing, poetry, singing, and listening to preaching as well as psychotherapy. All of these approaches have a similar objective of ensuring that there is an increased sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Trends in Networks for Creative Therapy Based Programs Over the past decade, a new trend of foundations utilizing music-based therapy to treat and assist victims of psychological distress all over the globe has emerged2. These foundations are among the pioneers in the field. They have implemented strategies and programs that change the usual social norms that exist around patients facing tough medical, physical or emotional challenges3. One of these organizations in this field is the Song of Love Foundation which was founded by John Beltzer in 19964. Beltzer came up with a therapeutic tool based on music as a form of medicine that provides a source of comfort and joy for children and teens undergoing a healing process of various medical, physical, and emotional challenges. He did this by creating original and personalized songs for each child. Further, through network and collaboration of the Foundation and various stakeholders such as the songwriters and caregivers in hospitals, the foundation has been able to expand. Songs of Love is one of the best examples of the upcoming trends in music therapy that has been helping children and will continue to do so by expanding its reach through network collaboration. Additionally, the Playing for Change Foundation which was founded by a group of filmmakers who had the common belief that despite the differences among members of society, music had the ability to change and bring people together in the community for the common good. To date, through networking with musicians and other filmmakers, it has become a global phenomenon that has blessed millions of people through music12. The foundation was not established for therapeutic care but for the development of music education for children living in areas which are rich in cultural traditions but lack resources. In the long run, the Playing for Change Foundation has come to shed light on the ability that music possesses to impact and improve the lives of community members. Network of Collaborators for Expansion of Music and Storytelling Program Psychological distress and reduction in the perception of one’s self-worth are among the most challenging issues around the globe. These conditions can be as a result of diverse factors such as abuse, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and health complications. Additionally, in some instances, such as addiction, addicts may engage in criminal activities. Groups such as Hope by Song help those in psychological distress by combining the arts of both storytelling and music. Hope by Song not only centers on one area (such as Songs of Love who deals with only sick children) but addresses any emotional distress a person may be struggling with that affects his or her self-worth. It is essential to keep expanding the mission of this organization by including a component that addresses restorative justice and perhaps medical issues as well. To successfully achieve such goals, the program would need to develop a collaboration with stakeholders and network with other agencies. An active social network of collaborators can be formed to help in setting up a collective impact which can serve the community as a whole5. The collaborations should include agencies in Hope by Song’s current service areas such as SalusCare, Inc. and Sovereign Health which are the leading behavioral health care clinics in Florida. Also, both have a multitude of clients who suffer from addiction. Hence, it would be a perfect stakeholder to collaborate with Hope by Song to help their patients undergo new programs of treatment through music and storytelling methods. However, as mentioned, not only those suffering from an addiction require this type of therapy. Addiction, as stated, can lead to criminal activities, thus, including neighborhood accountability boards and restorative justice programs should be considered by Hope by Song as a collaborative partner. A good example of such a program is the Florida Restorative Justice Program which deals with bringing together victims, offenders and the community for reconciliation. Networking with a community accountability board can help in restoring the relationship between victims and offenders via letter writing and music, thus helping all parties understand what they are going through in the aftermath of an offense. Further, educating others about the consequences (by the offender) who may be dealing with low-self-esteem issues themselves. Additionally, involving stakeholders such as Abuse Counselling and Treatment Inc, who work with individuals that have suffered many forms of abuse would also benefit from the Hope by Song program, lending to the mutual mission of both organizations in restoring self-worth and self-esteem of victims. Hope by Song heavily relies on volunteers and therefore would further require building up the organization's network of singer-songwriters, especially those who have a talent in playing musical instruments. Collaborating with Universities that have music programs such as the Bower School of Music and Arts would also be crucial. In summary, this network of collaborators would form the basis of individual and organizational connections that could make a collective impact6. Furthermore, the result would be an expansion of the program capable of growing from the state of Florida to other regions that help to solve one of the societies most challenging issues. Future Directions and Solutions Many gaps clearly abound in the literature regarding the application of expressive therapy for treatment of mental problems. Actually, the whole field is still at its nascent stages. Major studies by renowned therapeutic researchers only touch on particular aspect of the field13. For example, most of the findings only addressed psychosomatic forms of pain, discouragingly enough, few articles on the same exist today. Another major issue in expressive art therapy is the way that the key explanation behind what brings about the healing process is not obviously perceivable. It is uncertain whether the healing process happens due to inspiration from patients that pushes them to fight the disease from within or on the off chance that the patient has had good and positive communications with the therapist thus, duly followed given procedures and fully recovered. As of today, major debates tend to concentrate on boundless subjective advantages, an absence of experimental confirmation in support of the adequacy of the approach is a worry. Arguably, expressive therapy has proven to be effective and full of promises for people suffering mental health issues. Similarly, for those suffering from chronic pain it has enabled them gain quick recovery. However, the future of expressive therapy is still bleak. For instance, literary research on regarding its use and application show that it is not widely used across the world. In fact, only the most advanced countries have such systems in place. Generally, research has shown that its beneficial outcomes were not consistent across all studied cases. It therefore implies that for expressive therapy to be appreciated and applied in our daily lives, more scientific research has to be conducted. Researchers have the obligation to specify what sort of expressive treatment is done. Furthermore, recreational utilization of therapeutic art as treatment must be separated, for moral reasons, from psychotherapy as art as performed and practiced by some professional therapists. When different modalities of art are collectively put as one, expressive art therapy emerges to be more flexible and easily applicable. It suffices to say that modern studies focusing on art therapy are biased towards chronic pain management and mental health only. It is therefore imperative that future researchers adopt new approaches that can inculcate a holistic understanding of this type of art13. Deeper understanding and holistic research in the field is the way to go in order to address some of the issues raised. In spite of the fact that experimental based research has been used in studying the use of expressive art therapy to heal mental ailments, this region of study remains moderately unexplored. It therefore remains a critical point for future research. Furthermore, critics have noted that there is moderately little data in regards to how expressive art therapy treatment works when applied on numerous other ailments apart from the commonly known mental health issues. Subsequently, a multidisciplinary study may give profitable understanding into how expressive art therapy treatment supplements different medications. Thus, as a component of examining the role of expressive art therapy treatment in multidisciplinary settings, it is important to additionally investigate the correlations between the distinctive modalities of art based treatment methods. Thus, one way that the art of therapeutic treatment can be widely adopted is to inculcate the programs in school curriculum. Accordingly, earlier exposure to the art will ensure that more people are trained and that professionals in the field are not lacking. Conclusion Storytelling combined with music proves to be a form of emotional and physical intervention and healing. These are unique tools transcending age and status between the young and the elderly. The sense of belonging as well as relating to others with similar struggles helps in relieving stress and occurs in an entertaining environment. The establishment of these approach methodologies helps in the concurrent achievement of a higher sense of self-worth and an effective recovery procedure. Consequently, the future of expressive art therapy looks bright in the current generation. However, for professionals to fully understand and utilize the benefits of this practice, some of the issues raised in this paper must be addressed, for example, more comprehensive research must be done to erase all doubts on the role that expressive art therapy plays in modern forms of medical practice, more workshops to deliberate on implementing expressive art therapy in school curriculum should be set aside and lastly, organizations that carry out this practice should adopt a multidisciplinary approach in dealing with health issues. Bibliography John Beltzer. "Songs of Love Experience." 2017. Songs of Love Foundation. Accessed from https://www.songsoflove.org/experience/. Brown, C. 2015. The New Organizational Strategy. Non-Profit Management. Buckingham, David, ed. Youth, identity, and digital media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008. Grossman, Allen, Sarah Appleby, and Caitlin Reimers. "Venture Philanthropy: Its Evolution and its future." Harvard Business School (2013). Bates, Tom. 2017. Ci.Berkeley.Ca.Us. Accessed from http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploaded Files/City_Manager/Resilient_Berkeley/Berkeley_Resilience_Strategy_LowRes.pdf. McNiff, S. "Expressive therapies: history, theory, and practice." Expressive Therapies (2005). GoodTherapy.Org "Expressive Arts Therapy." 2017. Goodtherapy.Org. Accessed from http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/expressive-arts-therapy. University of New Hampshire. "Expressive Arts." 2012. Health Services. Accessed from https://www.unh.edu/health-services/ohep/complementaryalternative-health-practices/expressive-arts. United Nations Development Programme, and Khalid Malik. Human Development Report 2014: Sustaining Human Progress-Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience (PDF). UN, 2014. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-report-en-1.pdf Center, Living, Drama Therapy, Children Therapy, References Articles, Workshops Groups, Fees Donations, and Locations Directions et al. 2017. "Healing Generational Trauma From The Collective To The Individual." Living Arts Counseling Center. Accessed February 28, 2017. http://www.livingartscounseling.org/event/healing-generational-trauma-from-the-collective-to-the-individual/2017-03-04/. Kania, J. and Kramer, M., 2011. Collective impact. Retrieved from http://magnoliaplacela.org/ wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Collective-Impact.pdf Sing Me a Story Foundation, Inc. Stories and Songs for Kids in Need. Accessed from https://singmeastory.org/ Safir, M., Wallach, H. S., & Rizzo, A. (2015). Future directions in post-traumatic stress disorder: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=920318. Read More