ABSTRACT
The idea that art can promote physical healing is ancient. Since making art comes naturally to suffering artists, it makes sense that more and more patients dealing with illness and injury are receiving art therapy as part of their treatment. As in psychiatric settings, medical art therapists usually work as part of a team. The difference is that the primary problem for which the person is being treated is not psychiatric but physical. A patient’s artwork can provide a much-needed window on the mind for those involved in the treatment. Art therapy seems to be particularly useful for these ailments, which are physically very real, but in which stress is known to exacerbate symptoms. The mind–body connection is especially visible when anxiety triggers a tension headache or a bout of diarrhea. Art therapy can be helpful at every stage, from the shock of the initial trauma to the long and often discouraging process of rehabilitation.
