Musicians use divergent thinking more often than non-musicians

I came across this article via a colleague and though it's a few years old, it still seems relevant. Even though the focus is specifically with musicians, I wonder if some of the same principles are true for any of the other arts as well.

Musicians use both sides of their brains more frequently than average people

Posted on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 — 4:14 PM

Supporting what many of us who are not musically talented have often felt, new research reveals that trained musicians really do think differently than the rest of us. Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that professionally trained musicians more effectively use a creative technique called divergent thinking, and also use both the left and the right sides of their frontal cortex more heavily than the average person.

The research by Crystal Gibson, Bradley Folley and Sohee Park is currently in press at the journal Brain and Cognition.

“We were interested in how individuals who are naturally creative look at problems that are best solved by thinking ‘out of the box’,” Folley said. “We studied musicians because creative thinking is part of their daily experience, and we found that there were qualitative differences in the types of answers they gave to problems and in their associated brain activity.”

One possible explanation the researchers offer for the musicians’ elevated use of both brain hemispheres is that many musicians must be able to use both hands independently to play their instruments.

“Musicians may be particularly good at efficiently accessing and integrating competing information from both hemispheres,” Folley said. “Instrumental musicians often integrate different melodic lines with both hands into a single musical piece, and they have to be very good at simultaneously reading the musical symbols, which are like left-hemisphere-based language, and integrating the written music with their own interpretation, which has been linked to the right hemisphere.”

Previous studies of creativity have focused on divergent thinking, which is the ability to come up with new solutions to open-ended, multifaceted problems. Highly creative individuals often display more divergent thinking than their less creative counterparts.

To conduct the study, the researchers recruited 20 classical music students from the Vanderbilt Blair School of Music and 20 non-musicians from a Vanderbilt introductory psychology course. The musicians each had at least eight years of training. The instruments they played included the piano, woodwind, string and percussion instruments. The groups were matched based on age, gender, education, sex, high school grades and SAT scores.

The researchers conducted two experiments to compare the creative thinking processes of the musicians and the control subjects. In the first experiment, the researchers showed the research subjects a variety of household objects and asked them to make up new functions for them, and also gave them a written word association test. The musicians gave more correct responses than non-musicians on the word association test, which the researchers believe may be attributed to enhanced verbal ability among musicians. The musicians also suggested more novel uses for the household objects than their non-musical counterparts.

In the second experiment, the two groups again were asked to identify new uses for everyday objects as well as to perform a basic control task while the activity in their prefrontal lobes was monitored using a brain scanning technique called near-infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS. NIRS measures changes in blood oxygenation in the cortex while an individual is performing a cognitive task.

“When we measured subjects’ prefrontal cortical activity while completing the alternate uses task, we found that trained musicians had greater activity in both sides of their frontal lobes. Because we equated musicians and non-musicians in terms of their performance, this finding was not simply due to the musicians inventing more uses; there seems to be a qualitative difference in how they think about this information,” Folley said.

The researchers also found that, overall, the musicians had higher IQ scores than the non-musicians, supporting recent studies that intensive musical training is associated with an elevated IQ score.

The research was partially supported by a Vanderbilt University Discovery Grant.

Folley is a postdoctoral fellow. Park is a professor of psychology and psychiatry and a member of the Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience. Gibson was an undergraduate student and research assistant in the psychology department at Vanderbilt when this work was conducted and is now a Peace Corps volunteer based in Namibia. Park and Folley are Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development investigators.

Unsurprisingly, the Arts makes people happy!

I came across this article recently, and discovered that according to this data gathering, when ranked, of the top 6 activities that create the most happiness, #3-6 are all rooted in the arts - drama/theater, music, and art (viewing and creating). But of course, we already knew this! :)

Art and Happiness: New research indicates 4 out of 6 happiest activities are arts-related (!)

December 2, 2011 By Clayton Lord

Last week, an article that was actually published nearly a month ago on Chatelaine.com passed through my Facebook feed four times in two days. The article, titled “The three times people are happiest—you may be surprised,” rather vaguely discussed a research project out of the London School of Economics that was mapping happiness levels associated with various activities—and the results, per the article, indicated that, behind sex and exercise, the next most happiness-inducing activity was attending the theatre.

This landed with a big thud inside my head, as it sits so squarely next to a lot of the work we’re trying to do to understand the impacts, effects and benefits of the arts beyond the economic, so I did a little research and discovered that the project is called the Mappiness Project and it is the graduate work of an LSE researcher named George MacKerron. And I emailed him, he emailed back, and we chatted briefly.

So here’s the shocker—the Chatelaine article, and the Marie Claire article it’s based on, left out potentially the most amazing part of MacKerron’s (very preliminary) results so far. Of the top six most happiness-inducing activities, again after sex and exercise, the other four are all arts-related. They are, in descending order:

1) Intimacy/making love

2) Sports/running/exercise

3) Theatre/dance/concert

4) Singing/performing

5) Exhibition/museum/library

6) Hobbies/arts/crafts

MacKerron’s research, which relies on an iPhone app that randomly dings at you twice a day and has you take a short survey on your happiness and alertness, has garnered three million data points from 45,000 users in the UK over the last 18 months. And it’s important to point out that, of those 3 million responses, only 3,500 were in the theatre/dance/concert category (about .3%). But, and this is important, those 3,500 people who responded during or immediately after that activity were demonstrably happier. The way McKerron put it to me, “Someone at the theatre will average about 6 points happier than someone who isn’t.” (It’s on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being completely unhappy and 100 being completely happy). This, compared to someone having sex, who averages 12 points happier than someone who isn’t, and I see a new ad campaign.

MacKerron and his co-researcher/advisor, Susana Mouranto, are (at least for now) particularly looking at the impact of the environment around an individual on their happiness, and so as part of that they have attempted to control for confounding variables in an attempt to ensure that they’re actually measuring the happiness induced by the event of that moment, and not the general happiness level of the individual. In this case, MacKerron is intrigued by the theatre result in part because theatre attendance requires advance directed action (i.e. you have to buy a ticket), so that tends to mean that he feels more comfortable extrapolating that they’re happier because they’re in the theatre, and not in the theatre because they’re happier. He has more trouble with such conclusions in places like parks.

Survey responses that come in more than an hour after the solicitation are discounted in an effort to ensure that people are actually recounting their happiness levels as accurately as possible (and, at the same time, to be realistic about allowing a person to finish up (ahem) whatever activity they’re doing at the time). And so, in this way, MacKerron’s work isn’t really about long term echoes of an experience—more instant gratification than long-term emotional health. Which is in itself interesting. And, while he didn’t have the demographic data in a useable form when he chatted with me, he does have demographics on the respondents as well as relatively-accurate GPS location tracking of where people were when they responded, which spark two ideas in my head: such research has the possibility of (1) helping us better understand if our work is differently-affecting different people and (2) allowing us to actually map of particular events (or organizations) are instigating higher happiness scores in general.

All in all, MacKerron’s work, which he’s also discussed in a TEDx talk, has a lot of potential to tell us more about what role the arts play in the emotional well-being of individuals—and I can’t wait for him to begin publishing his work, which is in process.

Across all types of theatre work (see (very preliminary) graph), our research into intrinsic impact indicates that captivation (i.e. getting lost in the work and losing track of time) and emotional resonance are particularly affecting impacts with theatre.

In this sense, then, perhaps another word for captivation (especially in context with sex and exercise) might be euphoria, which Webster’s dryly defines as “a feeling of well-being or elation,” and Wikipedia more colorfully defines as “a medically recognized mental and emotional condition in which a person experiences intense feelings of well-being, elation, happiness, ecstasy, excitement and joy.”

Six points happier. Six points, I would argue, healthier. That’s awesome data, and I can’t wait to see more.

A New Meaning to Pointillist Art...

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

AWESOME THING OF THE DAY: Candy Sprinkles Photography

November 30, 2011

This "photograph" isn't a photograph: it's actually a painstakingly created piece of pointillist artwork. And it's made of candy.

We spoke to Joel Brochu, the Canadian artist and student at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan who created this brilliant piece of candy art. It took him a long time - Joel spent nearly eight months placing 221,184 nonpareils sprinkles (circular candy sprinkles that are used in cake and doughnut decoration) on a four foot by 1.5 foot board using double-sided tape.

Joel didn't actually take the photograph the artwork is based on: "The photograph from which I worked was taken by Shingo Uchiyama, a Japanese photographer. I stumbled on his work when searching for the perfect image to use and absolutely fell in love with his beagle. He granted me permission to use it."

In order to go from photograph to candy mosaic, Joel ran the original pic through a computer program that breaks down images into essential colours. According to the artist, "the difficult part was matching the computer colours to the actual colours of the nonpareils", which is not surprising, since he only had six colours of candy to work with. That's right: the artwork only contains six colours. The photorealistic effect is achieved by visual colour blending when it's viewed from a distance.

And as if all that wasn't impressive enough, how about this? Joel's not even majoring in fine arts. He told us he was studying art for a few months, but decided to make a change: "I have settled on religion and Eastern philosophy, another interest I have had since childhood". It seems he's already stumbled on an effective form of meditation.

Here are some close-ups that reveal the details of Joel's work of art.

Guest Blog: Fabric Meditation

I was honored to have a request from Allison Brooks to be a guest blogger here on "Adventures in Art Therapy." She describes herself as "very passionate about enlightening people about the benefits natural and integrative therapies can have on multiple diseases and illnesses." As a result, she wrote a very timely article on the benefits of art therapy - specifically fabric arts with quilting - with those who suffer from cancer. A little bit about Allie - she attended the University of Mississippi and earned her degree in Biomedical Anthropology. She is now studying in the field to finish an ethnography on the effects of biomedicalization on Bolivian Cultures. Please enjoy her contribution!

The Art of Therapy

How art and medicine are working together

From the dawn of man, art has been used as a way to release creativity, tell a story, decorate hallways, and maybe poke fun of an enemy. But no matter what, art is a visual or verbal way to express a person’s emotions, character, and insight; basically an extension of the artist. Even though it seems like a way to pass time, to make a gift, or continue a hobby, art is making its debut in hospitals all around the world as a way to manage stress and release feelings during cancer treatments.

Though cancer is a physical issue, it is very common for cancer patients to encounter severe emotional and psychological malaise. This is where art therapy comes into play. Dr. Josee Leclerc, who has a private practice for art therapy, states, “Art therapy really allows for an expression that words would not. The goal is to allow for emotions that are too difficult to put into works, or to use the image as a mirror or a witness of what the person is feeling, experiencing, or going through.”

The most notable of the cancer art therapies are the quilting projects. There have been multiple quilting programs in hospitals around the United States. Deborah Theriault has been facilitating quilting projects in the major cities of New Brunswick for years and stated, “This form of therapy gave them an avenue that changed their focus and spiritually took them away from their hospital beds and away from their sickness.” These quilts then go on to be a testament of their battle for survivors, and for the patients that did not survive, the quilts become a fond memory for the families.

Lin Swensson is another quilt therapist which travels to different hospitals to offer lessons. She encourages patients to either paint their stories on swatches of fabric or use pieces donated by local fabric stores. Patients find the quilting very therapeutic and often make quilts for one another. One lady, named Kate Graves, said that the quilts were “something tangible that could express far more than a get-well card.”

“Building Blocks” Kate Graves

Though this form of art therapy is not considered a form of cancer treatment, it is gaining a solid reputation as an alternative way to rehabilitate cancer patients. Many doctors recommend patients diagnosed with a low-survivability rate or aggressive cancer, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or pleural mesothelioma, to look into a form of art therapy. Even though every cancer is a serious cancer, the ones with the harsher treatments drain the person of morale quicker. Art therapy is not only an escape from the typical treatment routine, but it also improves self-esteem and gives the patient a sense of control when it seems out of reach.

Brain surgery triggers compulsive artmaking

I came across this program on TV about "Ingenious Minds," and this one particular program followed the case of a chiropractor who had to have brain surgery to unwrap blood vessels that were pinching a nerve near his ear. After some complications from the surgery, they had to remove part of his cerebellum to ease some swelling. As a result, he encountered some side effects, such as double vision, difficulty with balance, and....the compulsive need to create art. Neuroscientists are now studying his brain makeup to see how the structure of his brain is linked to creativity. Watch the episode below:

Jon Sarkin was a successful chiropractor until he suffered a brain aneurysm while golfing. While in surgery, Jon died on the table and doctors had to remove nearly half of his cerebellum to save his life. Jon couldn't walk or talk for a year and he started drawing and painting as a way to communicate.

For Jon, making art isn't an option: it's his life and his curse. Jon's condition is a rare one known as "acquired savant syndrome." Some of the world's most esteemed neurologists want to study his brain to understand his sudden compulsion to create art.

The researchers discover that Jon's brain re-wired itself after the trauma. Functions that the cerebellum usually controls (motor control, attention span) have been re-routed to the frontal lobe, which usually handles high-level functions like abstract thinking, decision-making and creativity.

A New Tack on Modern Art!

Art Gallery Cleaner Unknowingly Scrubs Artwork

In the world of art in general...

Art Gallery Cleaner Destroys Artwork worth $1,118,000

There's a lot to be said for keeping a space clean and tidy. But when that space happens to be an art gallery, you have to be careful what you're sanitizing. An overzealous cleaner at a German gallery found that out the hard way when she ruined a sculpture valued at €800,000 (CAD$1,118,650) because she thought it was dirty.

The artwork, which was created by German artist Martin Kippenberger who died in 1997, was called 'When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling'. It featured a rubber trough placed under a wooden tower, with paint inside the trough meant to represent dried rainwater. The cleaner obviously thought it was just dirt, and managed to remove it all with a scouring brush.

This isn't the first time a work of art has been mistaken for something that needs to be cleaned up. In 2001, an installation by British artist Damien Hirst was swept up and thrown away by a cleaner at the Eyestorm gallery. Of course in that case, the "art" in question was a room full of ashtrays, half-filled coffee cups, empty beer bottles and newspapers, so the cleaner could be forgiven. The artist himself found the whole thing "fantastic. Very funny."

Other artworks have been lost or damaged this way, including a so-called "grease stain" by Joseph Beuys which was apparently valued at about $557,000, and a work by artist Gustav Metzger at the Tate gallery in Britain that included - you guessed it - a bag of trash. Apparently the old saying/cliché is true: one man's trash really is another man's treasure.

That pretty much explains it....

Ancient art supplies found in South African cave

October 13, 2011 — WASHINGTON (AP) — Researchers in South Africa have discovered what may have been the world's earliest artist's studio. A 100,000-year-old workshop used to mix and store the reddish pigment ochre has been discovered in Blombos Cave on the rugged southern coast near Cape Town. At the same site, scientists have found some of the earliest sharp stone tools, as well as evidence of fishing.

The latest find is reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science. It includes pieces of ochre, grinding bowls, shells for storage and bone and charcoal to mix with the pigment. Lead researcher Christopher Henshilwood of the University of Bergen, Norway, said the find represents an important benchmark in the evolution of complex human mental processes.

The ochre could have been used for painting, decoration and skin protection, according to the researchers. The discovery shows that even at that time "humans had the conceptual ability to source, combine and store substances that were then possibly used to enhance their social practices."

Two separate tool kits for working ochre were found at the site, the researchers said. Henshilwood, who is also affiliated with the South Africa's University of Witwatersrand, said in a statement that researchers believe that pieces of ochre were rubbed on rock to make a fine red powder, and that was mixed with crushed bone, charcoal, stone chips and a liquid. The mixture was put into abalone shells and stirred with a bone.

SoulCollage® and Art Therapy

After seeing Seena Frost speak at the AATA conference in Sacramento (2010), was looking forward to learning how the SoulCollage® technique worked, but all the trainings are out of state. Thankfully, PATA is hosting a workshop this month:

October 22, 2011 11:00 AM-1:00 PM

Karen Baer, MA, ATR-BC sponsored by Potomac Art TherapyAssociation (PATA) and the George Washington University Graduate Art Therapy Program.

(2 CEC’s available, free for PATA members, $10 administrative fee for non-members*)

Workshop will be held after the October PATA Board Meeting held 10:00 -11:00 AM. The meeting agenda is posted on the PATA website.

The Potomac Art Therapy Association (PATA is an approved NBCC provider (#6500).

For more information about the workshop and to view the objectives please visit the PATA website. www.potomacarttherapy.org

"Absent" and Art Therapy

A documentary called "Absent" - which covers the epidemic of absentee fathers (not just physically, but emotionally and mentally) and its effects on their children through interviews - came to my attention. I thought it would relate well with my adolescent clients, so I showed it in one of my art therapy groups and then had them create art in direct response to it. It appeared to have a powerful reaction as they reflected in art and shared with the other group members. The group members gave me permission to share their art and reflections anonymously (click here to see them). This is a great film to share in your practice with those clients who can relate to this topic, and pairing the processing with art can really start a dialogue to work through this difficult issue.

Art therapy program helps people with physical disabilities

It's nice to see art therapy being used - and highlighted - in my hometown of Tulsa!

Melissa Dickerson joined the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges

for physical therapy three years ago and stayed for the art programs.

MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World

by: MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 04, 2011

10/4/2011 9:17:25 AM

Melissa Dickerson discovered the therapeutic side of art by chance.

Because of her multiple sclerosis, Dickerson went from being able to walk to using a wheelchair and is now somewhere in between, relying on her chair most of the time. Three years ago her neurologist recommended that she go to the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges for physical therapy, something her insurance wouldn't cover.

"I came for the physical therapy and stayed for the art," she said.

The nonprofit center offers a wide range of wellness, recreational programs and rehabilitative services for people with physical challenges. About 40 students participate in a variety of arts programs, said Janice Bawden, a visual arts instructor. "It adds meaning to life. That's especially important with people with physical challenges because they may not be able to participate in activities as they had in the past," Bawden said.

The center's art programs include art history, painting, sculpting, stained glass, ceramics and open studio time. Dickerson, who had never painted before going to the center, spends about four days a week working on art projects. Without the program, "a lot of my friends here would be staying at home having a pity party," she said. "You feel worse and worse when you focus on what feels bad. This program really means a lot to me."

The students' works of art are displayed in the studio and are for sale. The art is also sold at the center's annual Holiday Mart and area arts festivals. "When you're on a fixed income, it's nice to have that little extra money to go out and eat," Dickerson said. "When you can't work for a living, you start feeling kind of worthless. "It's nice to feel worthwhile again," she said.

One of the newest programs at the center is "neurobics," a brain fitness and training class using Posit Science software that focuses on two separate areas: auditory and visual. The different exercises help with working memory, concentration and alertness. "It helps with brain plasticity, opening new pathways," said Margie Crossno, program and volunteer services coordinator. "The program really helps our members who have suffered a stroke, head injury or trauma." Crossno said it can help with remembering sequences and make it easier to carry on a conversation.

The class is getting positive feedback. "I really like it. For me it's really challenging," Victoria Baker said. "I like the challenge." Baker was in a motorcycle accident when she was 19 and suffered a traumatic brain injury, said her mother, Rhondelle Blankenship. "She has a lot of physical handicaps but feels trapped inside her brain," Blankenship said. Blankenship said she moved her daughter here from Colorado just for the programs at the center and called the effect it has had on the 27-year-old "amazing." "She was deeply depressed. Now she's made friends, her attitude has changed and she's excited to come here every day," she said. "Even my attitude has changed."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

About the center

The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, 815 S. Utica Ave., has enabled thousands of people with disabilities to increase their physical capabilities since opening in 1957.

Qualification for membership:

• A person's primary disability must involve a mobility, dexterity or sensory impairment.
  
• The person must have sufficient functional capabilities to participate independently in center activities.
  
• If a person needs assistance while participating in activities, he or she must provide his or her own personal assistant.
  
  

Annual membership and class fees are based on a sliding scale.

For more information, call 918-584-8607 or go to tulsaworld.com/tulsacenter

So, what if Dr. Kevorkian had art therapy.....?

Dr. Jack Kevorkian's art,

belongings to be sold

September 30, 2011 — DETROIT (AP) — Paintings, writings and the iconic blue sweater of assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian are going up for auction, his attorney and close friend said Friday.

Lawyer Mayer Morganroth said the late pathologist's artwork and items will be sold in late October at the New York Institute of Technology. Scheduled for auction are more than 20 paintings, Kevorkian's art kit and the sweaters he became known for donning during his high-profile assistance in the suicides of dozens of people in the 1990s.

Many of the paintings depict death or dying, and are often intended to provoke or disturb. One of those up for auction is entitled "Genocide," and features a bloody head being dangled by the hair and held by the hands of two soldiers. One wears a German military uniform from World War II and the other a Turkish uniform from World War I.

Morganroth said Kevorkian wanted to depict the mass killings of Armenians and Jews during World I and World War II, respectively. The doctor was of Armenian descent. "Just looking at it, you can say (it's) grotesque," Morganroth said. "They were to make a point, like any art."

CBS Detroit first reported the auction plan. Morganroth said he doesn't know the value of the collection but most of the proceeds will go to Kevorkian's sole heir — a niece — and the charity Kicking Cancer for Kids. Morganroth said the timing was right to sell the items, since there was interest from several auction houses and the broader art world, as well as a desire to settle the estate.

The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with the New York Institute of Technology. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999, and was released from prison in 2007. He died in June at the age of 83.

Suburban Detroit art gallery owner Anne Kuffler, who has twice displayed Kevorkian's work and sells signed and numbered lithographs of six of his works for $500 apiece, said she was offered $100,000 for one of his original paintings during the first exhibit of his work in 1994. Kuffler, owner of the Ariana Gallery in Royal Oak, suspects that the value has only increased since then.

"I had several orders for his prints this morning," she said. Kuffler recalled an argument with Kevorkian, who painted the frame of "Genocide" with his own blood and wanted to have a skeleton with an IV flowing through it next to the painting.

"He said, 'I want to show how horrible it is, I want people to be upset by it,'" Kuffler said. "I said, 'If you haven't portrayed it in your painting, then you haven't succeeded.'" Many of the paintings have been hanging at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Mass., which also has a collection of his compositions and writings. Kevorkian was also a keen musician and composer.

"I think the legacy is showing the many facets of him and his capabilities," Morganroth said. "He was a multi-talented man."

Guest Blog: The Growing Role of Art Therapy Around the World

Thanks to Philip Reed for contributing this guest article about art therapy!!

The Growing Role of Art Therapy Around the World

--Philip J Reed, on behalf of Corona Regional Medical Center

Art therapy helps clients express feelings, ease anxiety, resolve internal conflicts, control behavior, and improve social skills. With creative materials and processes at hand, people can gain a greater sense of self and connect more completely with the world around them. This form of therapy is rooted in counseling techniques, psychological theory, and human development.

Around the world, people are exploring the benefits of art therapy, which not only encourages a relationship between the patient and therapist, but also the art created. Therapists focus on helping individuals who struggle expressing feelings verbally to release emotion through their art. To assist their clients, therapists must have a solid understanding of mental and behavioral health practices and art processes.

The uses for art therapy around the world are indeed diverse. Therapists, individuals, and other groups might use their art to address pressing issues in their society and try raising public awareness. They might work with other groups to make wider changes to the communities around them, explore environmental matters, or even encourage change for global problems. Indeed, many individuals feel art therapy has a potential to change the world.

Art therapists themselves show many similarities and differences. They are passionate about helping their clients better themselves, and are deeply committed to the impact artistic media can have on a person’s life. On a professional level, the requirements they must adhere to in order to practice their profession may vary considerably based on the state or country in which they work. Often, an art therapist will be required to register with a professional organization or directory, and may have codes of ethics to follow. International groups and communities are continually working together to integrate the profession and create an ideal combination of methods and take art therapy to the world stage.

In terms of how an art therapist works, the approaches they use may be as dynamic as the number of artistic outlets present today. After all, “art” encompasses fields like dance, music, writing, drama, and other visual possibilities. The right creative opportunity can do a great deal for helping patients heal, discover more about themselves, and help them gain a better understanding of their needs.

Gem of a Farewell....

I always like it when the kids I work with graduate from our program. However, some leave gems behind with their words of wisdom and their compliments, which we don't often hear from our clients. Below are the parting words from a graduating client, along with the individual brownie made for me (with my initials)...I hope this encourages the work of you other art therapists out there!

"Mrs. Mucklow. You are such an amazing art therapist. You're so funny and kind. I've learned to love art again. And I thank you. When I was little, I was always interested in art, but soon after my depression hit, I lost interest. I thought I would never be able to find pleasure in art again. But who would've thought coming here would help? I sure didn't. You definitely boosted my self-confidence toward my art. I can't thank you enough. I hope to visit you in the near future. Take care of yourself!"

Art aids WTB Soldiers

Art aids WTB Soldiers
Charmain Z. Brackett
Special to the Signal

The entryway of the Warrior Transition Battalion Building 329 has become an art gallery.

It all started with one idea.

Daryl Walker, who works in with the WTB, noticed one of the WTB Soldiers, Spc. Jose Hernandez bring in a model of a motorcycle for one of the noncommissioned officers who was leaving. He mentioned to Hernandez he would like one.

Hernandez made him one, and when Walker started to take it home, he had second thoughts.

“If I put it here, all the other Soldiers could enjoy it so I’ll go ahead and display it,” he said.

That was only about a month ago. Since then, other Soldiers have brought in paintings and other types of art work, which has transformed the building’s lobby. Now, Walker is looking for other Soldiers with artistic talent and more places to display their work.

Hernandez has spent 19 months with the WTB, and during that time, he turned to art to help him on his road to recovery.

“I didn’t paint since the sixth grade,” he said. “ I thought that skill was gone.”

He often gives his paintings to other Soldiers. One of his paintings hanging in Building 329 is of a Soldier kneeling in honor of a fallen comrade; another shows a warrior in transition from the battlefield to a future in college.

The art has provided a form of therapy, he said.

“It helps me to be relaxed and comfortable,” he said. “My condition has gotten better, and it’s kept me busy.”

Another Soldier who paints for therapy is Staff Sgt. Sonia Coleman. Her artwork is on the other end of the spectrum from Hernandez; she does abstract paintings.

“It allows you to go and experience your emotions on canvas,” she said. “You can release your frustration and depression. My paintings are different depending on the emotion.”

Walker said he not only wants WTB Soldiers’ artwork displayed around post and in the community, but Soldiers from other units as well.

Not only can art be therapeutic for those creating, but it can help those who see it as well. Walker wants to highlight the benefits of it.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he said.

To learn more about the art project, contact Walker or occupational therapist, Sterlyn Frazier, at daryl.k.walker@us.army.mil or sterlyn.d.frazier@us.army.

42nd Annual AATA Conference!

This year's conference is in my backyard in DC! Held at the beautiful Marriott Wardman Park hotel.

Creative Energy - Collective Efforts: Empowering the Art Therapy Journey is this year's theme.

I plan on attending some fun-filled and informative sessions for the main 3 days.

Also looking forward to attending the 4oth anniversary gathering of my fellow GWU alumni!

Art Therapy Helps Japanese Tsunami Children Survivors

Young Pain From Japanese Disasters Eased By Artmaking

By: Lindsey Christ

After the tsunami washed away their homes, schools and sometimes even their parents, many Japanese children were encouraged to draw pictures about their feelings. Now their art has come to New York and local students are responding. NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

Crayons can sometimes help children heal. For the youngest survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, art has been a key to recovery. This week, some of their drawings came to New York City, as the first stop of an international tour.

Drawings and writings by more than 300 Japanese students are on display through Friday at the AIGA National Design Center on Fifth Avenue near 22nd Street in the Flatiron District.

The children's pain is clear. One 10-year-old child wrote, "I was worried about school -- what about aftershocks? This is how I felt deep inside. It was scary. That's all. My heart is so anxious."

The non-profit group Hug Japan visited more than 100 schools along the tsunami-ravaged coast. Workers noticed lots of material donations but not much psychological support.

"Nothing to help children in their mind, so teachers didn't know how to encourage the children," says Hug Japan representative Kazunari Matoba.

That's where the art therapy came in. Students were told to focus on either how they feel now or what they hope for the future. As part of the exhibit, New Yorkers can respond by drawing or writing postcards to the children.

Students at schools like Harlem's Manhattan East Middle School raised money and drew their own responses.

"New York is suffering from the 9/11 and also New York is a special place for art," says Hug Japan representative Kazunari Matoba. "Maybe Japanese students will be encouraged by New York children's art."

The art therapy of photographer Mayumi Suzuki hangs opposite the student drawings. She lost her home and both parents to the tsunami.

"After the earthquake, I did not know what I can do. However, by picking up the camera, I was able to take a step forward. And I believe that it is because I have the camera that I can keep going," says Suzuki.

Photographing the students, she says they looked depressed in the beginning, but seemed uplifted after turning to art.

Music Therapy Calms Agitation, Relieves Depression

As an art therapist and a musician - I completely am on board with what our sister field of music therapy is doing. Sharing a report of its success here:

Music Therapy Can Calm Agitation, Relieve Depression

By: LAIRD HARRISON, Internal Medicine News Digital Network

05/24/11

SAN FRANCISCO – Music therapy can improve symptoms of depression and agitation in residents with dementia, according to researchers who described an innovative program in the Metropolitan Jewish Health System in New York.

"There was a major drop in agitation after 2 weeks of music therapy," said Dr. Mary S. Mittelman, director of the psychosocial research and support programs at nearby Langone Medical Center, and statistical analyst for the pilot program. "Depression went way down."

While most nursing homes offer music as passive entertainment, the researchers tried to systematically engage residents as active participants who move in time to the music, sing, or play instruments.

Music may stimulate people with dementia in a way that language cannot, said Jan Maier, RN, of the Research Triangle Institute International in Durham, N.C., who offered background information on music therapy. "In dementia, the parts of the brain that have to do with music and emotional memory are preserved," she said.

She cited anecdotal reports of people with dementia learning three-part rounds or recalling the words to long hymns they sang in their youth. In some documented cases, former professional musicians with such severe dementia that they couldn’t dress themselves have been able to play instruments in ensembles, she said.

"People who don’t remember their son or daughter who come to visit will remember the person who leads their music group, and say, ‘Do we have music today?’ " Ms. Maier said.

Photo courtesy Metropolitan Jewish Health System Music therapist Michael McGaughy is shown engaging a resident as an active participant in a music program, which some studies have found helps patients with dementia and agitation.

A handful of randomized controlled trials have shown reductions in agitation in patients with dementia who participate in music therapy, she said, citing among other studies one by researchers in Taipei, Taiwan, that recently documented the effect (Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry 2011 July;26:670-8 [doi: 10.1002/gps.2580]).

Music therapy has great potential in long-term care, Dr. Mittelman said, since about 70% of nursing home residents over age 75 years suffer from dementia.

The Metropolitan Jewish Health System developed protocols in which the residents sang along or moved in time to the music, and others that incorporated music into activities of daily living, such as wound care, bathing, and range-of-motion exercises.

In a video demonstrating a typical session, women waved scarves in time to big band music. "The movement intervention worked best," said Kendra Ray, an art therapist who directed the project.

Dr. Mittelman said the researchers collected data on 84 people, of whom 8 had agitation, 42 had depression, and 34 were wanderers. The research showed an average one-third drop on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory and a similar improvement in depression, measured by the Dementia Mood Picture Test. Depression returned when the music therapists left and certified nursing assistants took over the activities. Results from the Algase Wandering Scale were inconsistent. Dr. Mittelman acknowledged that the data were only preliminary and that larger studies should be conducted.

But, as another measure of success, Dr. Mittelman said that some of the participants’ families testified about the benefits of the program. Some said that they enjoyed their visits more because the residents’ moods had improved so much. "My Mom is more upbeat, more attentive, and talkative," one wrote. And, at times, residents picked up instruments to practice on their own, outside of music-therapy hours.

If you are trying to address specific behaviors, Dr. Mittelman advised, time the therapy for when these behaviors are likely to occur. For example, if someone wanders in the evening, play music at that time. But don’t play music all day. That can become irritating, she said.

When designing a music-therapy program for an individual, "Pick the music that person loved," Dr. Mittelman said. "If you don’t know, go to their early adult years. If they like it, they’ll let you know right away."

Dr. Mittelman and Ms. Ray said they had no conflict of interest on the topic.

Visit My Art Therapy Store!

So this has been a while in coming...but I finally finished up my art therapy store with merchandise that gives you options of sharing art therapy in a number of different ways! I also added some items with some of my personal artwork as well, if you are just looking for something artistic to have around. Here are a few samples below!

Minimalist Mental Disorders Posters

A friend of mine clued me in to this art by British graphic designer Patrick Smith. This is a great combination of art and psychology, and I wanted to share it with you!

Art Therapy & Mental Illness

Here is a nice feature about art therapy from "The Emotion Machine" website:

Art Therapy And Mental Illness

Art therapists believe that through creative expression and by evoking one’s imaginative abilities a person can live a greater life of physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Depending on the patient’s strengths and interests, certain art therapies may include any combination of dance, drama, music, writing, embroidery, and the visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpting and photography).

Through these expressive mediums it has been shown that patients become better at reducing stress, managing behavior, developing interpersonal relationships, increasing self-esteem and self-awareness, improving problem-solving and other cognitive faculties, as well as achieving insight.

The arts have probably been used as a source of healing ever since they have come into existence; but art therapy did not emerge as a distinct profession until the 1940s where psychotherapists began to take interest in the creative output of those with mental illnesses (such as the famous Mexican artist Martin Ramirez who was diagnosed with schizophrenia) as well as those on psychedelic drugs (such as this government-mandated study on LSD).

Recently there has been a new Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) program at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany which includes art therapy techniques mixed with yoga, anger management, cognitive processing therapy and other treatments.

More amazingly, PBS’ Wide Angle, Focal Point documentary did a segment on how art therapy has even been used to reform terrorists (out of over 200 patients who have completed the program only 5% have relapsed!):

The Art of Music Therapy

As an art therapist and a musician, I completely understand the power of music therapy. (I've even thought about going back to school for a music therapy degree, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet.) Here's some great reports about our cousin in the creative arts therapies.

Healing through music therapy

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) Listening to music can put you in a good mood, but on-going research proves it can literally improve a person's overall health.

On-going research has shown that playing live, structured and uncomplicated music for infants can decrease heart rates, increase oxygen intake, lower cortisol levels and facilitate development. Certified practitioners say music therapy can sometimes reach patients in ways other therapies cannot.

The University of Alabama is the only school in the state offering a degree in Music Therapy and as CBS 42's Leigh Garner reports, the benefits of a good song could be life changing.

Musical Therapy Provides New Healing Remedies

The University of Alabama is the only school in the state with a program and degree for Musical Therapy. Department heads and professors run clinicals at various facilities as part of the degree requirements and to further their research. In recent studies they have discovered playing live, simple, and structured music can actually lower stress levels in adults and children. In premature babies, musical therapy also decreases the amount of time many infants must stay in the hospital. Practicioners say the difference musical therapy can make in a patient's life is visible and recognizable, while it can also provide financial benefits for hospitals and insurance providers.

Kids Fighting Cancer in the Studio

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every day in the United States, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer. One

out of five don't survive treatment, but music is helping young patients heal emotionally and physically.

Eleven-year-old Alex Harkins has been coming to Texas Children's Hospital since before she could talk.

"I had a tumor on my liver," Harkins told Ivanhoe.

Doctors removed it, but during follow up visits, she discovered a special place here -- a recording studio where kids write down their feelings and put them to music.

"Anything that kids can do that brings them joy helps to boost their immune system," Anita Kruse, founder of Purple Songs Can Fly at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas, explained.

Research shows music helps calm patients during procedures, promotes relaxation and sleep, and reduces pain and treatment side effects. Harkins has been cancer free for ten years. Her message to other kids

"Don't give up now matter how hard it gets," Harkins said.

Children from around the world have recorded in this studio. Their songs are heard played on Continental Airlines flights. The music recorded at the studio has also flown into space. One of the NASA astronauts took two of the CDs on a shuttle mission to the international space station.

Farewell to Helen Landgarten

latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-helen-landgarten-20110226,0,1745408.story

Helen B. Landgarten dies at 89; pioneering art therapist

The L.A. painter established a clinical art therapy program combining art and counseling at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and graduate departments at two schools.

By Claire Noland, Los Angeles Times

February 26, 2011

Helen B. Landgarten, a Los Angeles artist and pioneering art therapist who established a clinical art therapy program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and graduate departments in art therapy at Immaculate Heart College and Loyola Marymount University, has died. She was 89.

Landgarten died Wednesday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after suffering a stroke, Loyola Marymount announced.

In the 1970s, Landgarten helped legitimize art therapy, which combines art and counseling, on the West Coast. Practitioners say that art therapy can be an effective diagnostic and treatment tool during psychotherapy sessions, particularly with children, adolescents, families and groups.

"I can have a family create some art together and in about a half-hour, by the way they have proceeded — who went first, who went last, the whole mechanism, observing all that — I could tell you what the family system is, what role each person played, how they functioned as a unit," Landgarten said in a 1986 interview with The Times. "Now when people come to a clinic, they don't push and shove each other like they might at home. You know people are on their best behavior, so the art can be symbolic of what happens in their daily lives."

Art also provides mental health patients with a positive, creative outlet and allows them to communicate with others in nonverbal ways, Landgarten said. And the art produced is tangible evidence of the effort made in the treatment process.

A painter, she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at UCLA in 1963. She was drawn to psychotherapy in the 1960s and '70s, said Debra Linesch, chairman of the graduate department of marital and family therapy at Loyola Marymount.

"As a painter, she recognized the deeper connection between art and the unconscious, one's own inner life," Linesch said in an interview Friday.

Landgarten earned a master's degree in marital and family therapy at Goddard College in Vermont in 1972 and introduced a clinical art therapy practice to Thalians Community Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai.

In 1976, she founded a master's degree program in art therapy at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, the first of its kind on the West Coast. After the college closed in 1980, she moved the program to Loyola Marymount. She directed the program and taught courses until 1988, when she retired.

She was the author of academic textbooks, including "Clinical Art Therapy," "Family Art Psychotherapy," "Adult Art Psychotherapy" and "Magazine Photo Collage."

In retirement, she remained active at Loyola Marymount's Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic, which works with children and families.

Born Helen Barbara Tapper in Detroit on March 4, 1921, she married Nathan Landgarten in 1942. They had two children, daughter Aleda and son Marc, who survive her.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Sunday at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles.

claire.noland@latimes.com

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times