Some thoughts on creativity and healing

I have always been interested in how being creative can be used as a tool for healing, having experienced the benefit myself and observed this in others. Using our hands to make something can allow us to move little steps forward in our lives when words are inadequate and the pain of loss is too deep to process.

The value of being creative

At other times being creative can help to reduce stress, give life satisfaction and meaning and empower us to increase our overall well-being. It can also increase our sense of confidence and self-acceptance, our sense of achievement and our personal strengths. We re-focus to the here and now, distracting from unhelpful thoughts and feelings of pain, and our brains are stimulated.

Using creativity in a group setting

In the later stages of the Women’s Support Group that I facilitated, every second session became a time of creatively making something with our hands – often cards based on a set template, or other crafts chosen by the group members. I was mindful of not encouraging anyone into activities with which they were uncomfortable, so it was important to allow the members to be an active part of the planning process.

Over time I noticed the development of increased confidence and creative thoughts in the ladies, and enthusiasm to engage in new learning. This was a great outcome for women who had experienced the debilitating effects of domestic violence in their lives.

Extending the experience

Sometimes I would encourage the ladies to apply what they were creating to a metaphor for their lives (thus extending creative thought processes). For example, when we made a folder for storing various types of cards, we brainstormed how we could organise our lives.

Some great resources

I have come across two wonderful books that promote the therapeutic value of creativity:

1. Hope Make Heal by Maya Pagan Donenfeld

This is a book about how to channel the powerful flood of emotions following traumatic events into things that can be seen and touched. It contains four sections – Wounded, Synchronicity, Healing and Reinvention, and each section includes things to make that are directly connected to healing, a guided meditation and some helpful introductory thoughts.

For more information:
http://mayamade.blogspot.com.au/p/my-book.html

2. Craft for the soul: how to get the most out of your creative life by Pip Lincolne

This is an enthusiastic step by step guide to “having nice times” by building our own creativity and engaging in other acts of self-care. Pip encourages us to try new things, be ourselves, build more movement into our days and cultivate friendships, and gives lists of ideas of things to try in each of these areas.

For more information:
http://meetmeatmikes.com/buy-craft-for-the-soul/

I hope you can find more time for creativity in your life.