Art healing is not just about healing the soul

Doctor, I... can't say, I can draw it for you to see

The girl pushed a piece of paper in front of the therapist, and in the center of the painting, a girl curled up in the corner, surrounded by thick black lines. The edge of the paper is dotted with a few shades of tender green and yellow.

Originally, a car accident took away the patient's loved ones and also deprived her of her ability to express herself verbally. But through painting, she presents indescribable wounds and struggles, as well as the hope for life that arises deep within her heart.

The emotions expressed will never disappear. "As Freud said, the magical power of art lies in its ability to directly reach the primitive realm of the subconscious.

Nowadays, from online psychological counseling to offline healing workshops, many people relieve anxiety, release stress, and comfort their souls through activities such as painting, drama, poetry, music, etc. Art therapy is entering the field of vision of more and more people with its unique form and significant effects.

At the beginning of this year, the "2024 China Art 50 Forum" listed "art healing" as the top ten research frontiers and hot topics in the national art discipline.

The recommended words from the Art Therapy Studio of the Central Academy of Fine Arts are: In the exploration of the value of diversified artistic applications, art therapy has become a new focus of artistic practice, interdisciplinary cooperation, and social needs. It uses various forms such as visual art, music, dance, and drama to emphasize emotional release and self exploration in the expression process, actively helping people improve their self-awareness and mental health. It is not only applicable to social groups with psychological distress, but also to the development goals of mental health for the whole society.

Art is a way of expression that transcends language, culture, and consciousness, "said Zhang Xuan, an associate professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, describing the unique value of art therapy. In her view, art can provide a "stable companionship" and "free passage" for human emotions, allowing those indescribable emotions to find a place to rest.

This viewpoint coincides with the concept of "carrying" in psychology - creating a safe and accepted space for emotions.

In fact, the concept of Art Healing can be traced back to 1945, and it developed almost simultaneously with Art Therapy in the field of clinical psychology. These two concepts are often mixed up in reality. Art therapy focuses on the healing effects brought by the creative process itself, while art therapy is a clinical treatment system that requires professional qualification certification.

In 1945, British artist Adrian Hill systematically expounded the therapeutic effects of painting and coloring on tuberculosis patients in his book "Art and Disease".

The healing effect does not come from the artistic value of the work, but from the focus, dedication, and emotional expression in the creative process. "This artist who has personally experienced illness has found that artistic creation can become a unique communication medium between patients and therapists.

Psychologists such as Freud and Jung have delved into the relationship between artistic expression and the subconscious, with Jung himself conducting self analysis through painting. In 1964, with the establishment of the British Association of Art Therapists, "art therapy" officially became a professional field with a complete system and industry standards.

In China, the renowned contemporary aesthetician Zhu Guangqian analyzed aesthetic experience from a psychological perspective in his book "Literary Psychology" and proposed a systematic theory of aesthetics and psychology, providing theoretical support for China's later art therapy.

How does art therapy affect our brain? Neuroscience research has provided the answer.

Research has found that the different connection modes of striatal sub circuits are closely related to the generation of aesthetic pleasure, while the activation level of the ventral striatum directly reflects the intensity of aesthetic experience. In the aesthetic process, the orbitofrontal cortex responsible for pleasure and reward is widely activated.

When the perceptual system processes aesthetic features, it activates the limbic system to release chemicals such as dopamine, producing a natural reward effect. That's why when enjoying familiar music, people's sense of pleasure peaks with the activation of the ventral striatum, "Zhang Xuan explained.

With the support of the medical and health research project of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Medical and Health Bureau, Professor Cao Yuan's team from the University of Hong Kong conducted an innovative research that combines traditional psychological counseling with music therapy, focusing on adolescent mental health issues. The data shows that the mental health level of adolescents participating in the music therapy group is significantly better than that of the control group.

Music is a medium that is more attractive to young people, "Cao Yuan said. Compared with traditional talk therapy, music can activate a wider range of brain areas and have a more significant therapeutic effect.

Dr. Li Huiyun, a registered music therapist in the research team, has provided professional treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease, ALS, and Parkinson's disease at end-of-life care hospitals in Australia.

Li Huiyun said, "For Parkinson's patients with impaired language function, traditional psychological therapy is difficult to carry out, while music therapy can train the patient's oral muscles through singing

This innovative therapy has also been validated in practice in many hospitals. The Breast Surgery Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital has an active professional volunteer service team composed of doctors, nurses, and patients. The deputy chief physician of the department, Wang Xuefei, introduced that they began exploring art therapy in 2009. Doctor Guan Jinghong and nurse Shi Na regularly hold silk scarf shows and fashion shows with the theme of showcasing their own beauty, and try to organize intimate love appreciation events to enhance partner emotions. They have also opened photography classes, "Listen to Flowers" spiritual healing workshops, and approached art museums for art therapy activities.

Starting from 2023, Wang Xuefei will be responsible for the "Pink Garden" project in the breast surgery department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. She collaborates with nurse Long Yifang and others to organize daily online reading and exercise check ins, as well as regular monthly activities such as painting therapy, handmade art therapy, VMC drum circle therapy, book clubs, eight dan brocade, dance classes, and more.

Among the many healing activities, drum rings are particularly popular among patients, "Wang Xuefei, who is also a healing mentor for VMC drum rings, told reporters." Drum rings are an internationally popular form of group performance, mainly consisting of African drums, paired with percussion instruments of different pitches such as Baha bass drums and Tubano drums, as well as auxiliary instruments such as sand hammers, stick bells, and hand bells

Before each event, Wang Xuefei and her colleagues and volunteers carefully arrange the event site, surrounding the seats in a circle and placing various musical instruments. After participants introduce themselves, Wang Xuefei and music therapists alternate to guide patients to play musical instruments according to the rhythm of the music.

We will regularly invite renowned teachers from the drum circle to guide and provide more accurate healing for patients. Drum circle emphasizes participation rather than performance, and does not require any musical foundation. Participants only need to freely express themselves according to the rhythm of the music, "said Wang Xuefei.

This group based music therapy provides patients with a bridge for emotional communication, allowing even participants who are new to musical instruments to quickly integrate into it. A patient once wrote, "After falling ill, I felt like I had lost control of my body, but the resonance in the drums helped me rediscover myself

For medical staff, art therapy is a two-way journey of healing.

Wang Xuefei admitted that she has to complete seven or eight surgeries every day, and art therapy can effectively relieve work pressure. Yuan Tingting, a nurse in the intensive care department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, shares the same feeling that the high-intensity working environment in the ICU can easily lead to anxiety and job burnout. Regular participation in art therapy activities can significantly improve sleep quality and enhance psychological resilience.

In interviews, many medical staff stated that according to their observations, nurses who frequently participate in healing activities are able to maintain focus and calmness in their work, and the level of understanding among colleagues has also significantly improved.

Not long ago, the reporter came to Galli Theater located on Xidawang Road in Chaoyang, Beijing to participate in a 3-hour drama healing experience class. In the theater, 12 students sat in a circle and, under the leadership of Dr. Gao Xuan, the founder of Galli Theatre China, began an exploration course about the "Seven Dark Room Children".

This is our core theoretical foundation, "Gao Xuan explained to the students. The seven darkroom children concretized the complex human subconscious, including the drowsy" unable to wake up ", the curious" curious ", the emotionally rich" multi love ", the hot tempered" irritable ", the self inflated" arrogant ", the petty" miser ", and the" little one "who never grows up.

In daily life, we often suppress our true selves in order to meet social expectations. The parts that we deliberately hide and refuse to reveal to others form the 'darkroom child', "Gao Xuan said

The more we resist our darkroom children, the more they will interfere with our lives in a more intense way; and once we accept our darkroom children, the corresponding positive power and potential will also be liberated, "Gao Xuan further explained.

The course kicked off with the melodious sound of music. In the first half, Gao Xuan guided participants to meditate through body movements, "awakening the body before the mind," she said softly. As the rhythm of the music changes, the originally reserved students gradually stretch their bodies, some closing their eyes and smiling, while others sway freely. When entering the experience session of "Seven Dark Room Children", Gao Xuan designed interactive methods - sometimes needing to improvise with strangers, sometimes able to meditate alone in the corner, allowing everyone to find the most comfortable way to participate.

The latter half of the course mainly involves handling personal conflict scenes through improvisational performances. Gao Xuan prepared various topics ranging from classic propositions to personal confusion, and one student chose the personal topic of "mother daughter conflict" (the topic has been treated for privacy). She recounted a conflict she had with her mother during her teenage years, a knot that had not been resolved for over 10 years. Gao Xuan did not ask the performers to recreate the conflict scenes from back then, but suggested, "Let's see what inner strength we have at this moment. What would happen if we were to have a conversation with different darkroom children today

Without any script, the students engaged in conversations with their partner who played the role of the mother with a straightforward and passionate attitude. As a drama therapist, Gao Xuan always maintains the safe boundary of drama performance through non-invasive observation, only lightly tapping key nodes when emotional flow is obstructed, ensuring that exploration does not deviate from the core issue. When 'Little One' said 'I just want to know if you care about this matter', sobs rang out from the scene. This student shared that their suppressed emotions were expressed and they had more courage to communicate with their mother in real life.

In the space constructed by drama, participants can explore their life issues, discover and develop themselves through performance in a sufficiently safe environment, "said Gao Xuan.

The insights written by netizen Fu Youdun on social media also confirm this point: "Participating in drama classes, in a very safe environment, getting to know the seven darkroom children on my body, they appeared one by one, were seen and accepted, never felt so calm, and unexpectedly gained strength

In the interview, the art therapist repeatedly mentioned "improvisation". Why is improvisation so important? Improvisational creation is about activating the body's intuitive system. The sub-health state of modern people's psychology is essentially an imbalance between the sensory system and the thinking system. Art therapy is about fully mobilizing our senses to draw and perform freely, and rebuilding the body's ability to perceive emotions, "said Wang Wenting, a lecturer at the Art Therapy Studio of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Wang Wenting believes that professional art therapy requires special attention to prevent participants from experiencing secondary trauma. Art therapists should create a safer and more free creative space for participants in art therapy, allowing them to naturally develop psychological processes such as empathy, projection, or free association, thereby expanding the dimensions of emotional expression and experience.

如今，艺术疗愈已发展出临床专业与大众化实践并行的格局。中央美术学院等高校纷纷开设相关课程，推动这一领域发展。但大众对艺术疗愈仍存在诸多疑惑：是否需要专业背景？是否需要艺术天赋？是否只适用于心理疾病患者？

“艺术疗愈有别于艺术鉴赏。”王文婷解释道，它不评判参与者的艺术能力，而是鼓励人们放下评判标准，自然感受创作过程本身。

在张璇看来：“当代艺术正在解构‘结果导向’的传统观念，在艺术创作与表达过程中，美的感受与生命力量会自然涌现，这并非刻意追求的结果。更重要的是，艺术提供了一个足够包容的空间，让痛苦与恐惧得以安放。当人们能够直面这些负面体验，并将其转化为具体的艺术表达时，疗愈就已经在发生了。”

“艺术疗愈的核心在于创造性地转化内心体验。”民政职业大学教师、中国科学院心理学博士孙亚斌表示，当人们通过绘画、音乐等艺术形式，将那些被理性压抑或防御机制掩盖的情绪具象化时，实际上是通过象征、隐喻等艺术语言，重新整合分裂的情感碎片，最终达成对创伤的接纳与超越。

在采访中也发现，不少人对为何要进行艺术疗愈存在认知误区。

“为什么要提前疗愈？等生病了再治疗不是更直接吗？”对此，张璇表示：“这种观点反映的是传统的疾病治疗思维，而现代心理学更倡导积极心理学的预防理念。”

“艺术疗愈不仅是对症治疗，更是一种创造性的自我成长方式。就像我们不会等到身体垮掉才去健身一样，心理健康也需要日常养护。通过艺术表达，人们可以开发潜能、提升幸福感，治疗尚未发生的疾病，实现从‘活着’到‘活得好’的转变。”张璇说。

当然，艺术疗愈也有其“门槛”。

“比如ICU的艺术疗愈，就必须遵循医疗安全原则。”袁婷婷说，“由于患者病情变化快，我们联合医生、康复治疗师制定个性化方案，运用一些评分工具评估患者状态，确保疗愈活动不影响医疗操作和患者安全。”

日常的喝茶、看书、练字等活动，是否也算艺术疗愈？“这些活动确实能带来放松效果，但真正的艺术疗愈需要专业的引导和系统的方法。”王文婷说。

多位专家在采访中指出，艺术疗愈并非简单的休闲娱乐，而是一门专业的心理工作，从业者的专业性至关重要。所以，建议选择具有心理学背景、经过专业系统培训的艺术疗愈师，避免被商业化包装的“伪疗愈”项目误导。

孙亚斌提醒，在艺术疗愈实践中，治疗师需要严格遵守专业边界和咨询伦理规范，“艺术疗愈师应当建立定期的专业督导机制，建议根据个案数量或固定周期与督导进行专业交流，以确保治疗过程的规范性和有效性”。

《光明日报》（2025年08月02日 07版）记者 赵洁