Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is recognized as a serious mental health condition. With symptoms such as flashbacks, hyperawareness, sleep issues, and more, good treatment is crucial. As such, supplementary or holistic therapies often fall by the wayside.
However, alternative therapies can provide incredible benefits to people suffering from PTSD. They cannot replace medication and traditional therapies like CBT, but they provide a route to additional insight that is often both healing and motivational.
Creative pursuits are the perfect example. Activities like art and writing may not seem to have health benefits, but are extremely valuable in PTSD treatment.
Let’s take a look at why and how art and writing can aid in PTSD recovery.
Why Try Art and Writing for PTSD?
PTSD occurs when a person’s nervous system is activated by a trauma and gets ‘stuck’ there long after the event has ended. Treatment therefore focuses on getting the nervous system ‘unstuck’, often by targeting the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that repeatedly reinforce the symptoms.
Art and writing help achieve this in a number of ways. Flashbacks and bad dreams are a distressing symptom of PTSD. They utilize the mind’s incredible capacity for imagination to make it feel like the person is going through the trauma again.
By painting, drawing, crafting, or writing, the person with PTSD can take advantage of their imagination to reframe the way they see the trauma. This comes through simple exposure to the situation in a safe space, as well as in weaving positive messaging into their creation.
Another benefit is that these pursuits can be calming for some people. By engaging in the creative process, they allow their bodies and minds time to disconnect from the hyperawareness left from the trauma. This is something that is not often possible during the hustle and bustle of work.
Finally, the work itself might provide insight into the person’s internal experience, even if the person has not been able to vocalize it. With a therapist, they can assess what their subconscious is telling them.
How Does Art and Writing in PTSD Treatment Work?
There is no one way to treat PTSD with art and writing. The very idea is to let the person’s creativity guide the process. However, there are structures that therapists use to ensure their clients get the most benefit.
In-Person Therapy
Art and writing activities can be used during in-person therapy to help process experiences. The therapist might guide the client to draw their experience or write about it. They may not start with the trauma itself, but rather with times the person’s symptoms have been severe. For example, they may focus on the moments before the person had a vivid flashback.
Since the therapist is present, the person has reassurance that this is a safe space. If they are triggered by anything that comes up, there is someone there to help them.
This can be seen as a form of exposure therapy, where the person gets used to thinking about the experience with repetition. They can also take it further by working with the art or writing to think about the trauma in new ways.
Group Therapy
Art therapy is often provided in mental health treatment centers as a supplement to the core process. It usually takes place in a group setting, where every individual present takes time to work on a piece of art (or writing). Their creation may have to do with the traumatic event, or they can let their imagination run free.
Once they have worked on their piece, the art therapist and other group members can help them process it in a way they hadn’t thought of. Elements in their artwork might point to feelings they have buried. People often gain deep insight through this, recognizing aspects of their trauma that were holding them back from moving on.
“Homework”
A major benefit of art and writing is that it does not need to be done in a clinical setting. While you cannot do talk therapy alone, you can continue your creative process once you’re home. This can help in multiple ways.
Creating art and writing can be very relaxing. We often struggle to relax because we feel pressure to be productive. Art and writing are productive processes, but they are not stressful as there are no requirements or deadlines to meet. They are especially useful for people who struggle with mindfulness techniques like focusing on breathing. Being in the moment while engaging your creative side is a form of mindfulness that resonates with many.
Art and writing at home also help open the person up so that they can better appreciate the world around them. People with PTSD often struggle to engage with the world without fear and negativity. Activities that take them out of their safe space can prove very difficult. As such, creative pursuits which allow the person to use their powers of imagination in their own time are extremely helpful.
Conclusion
PTSD is a serious mental health condition. To treat it, medication and therapy are often required. However, that does not diminish the importance of art and writing in the healing process. As supplemental or holistic therapies, they help the person engage their creativity and process their trauma in new ways.