Natural Ways to Release Happiness Chemicals

These are some good ways to access the four "happiness" neurochemicals through natural means.  Perhaps you might find them helpful!

Strategies for Stress Management

I came across this chart that has a nice snapshot of ways you can manage stress in different areas of your life.  I hope it is helpful for you, not just with this last year in mind, but for now and the future as well.

Guest Blog: Calming Color Inspiration From Famous Serene Paintings

As some of you may have read before on my blog about color therapy and the psychology of color, I am excited to bring a guest blog post from Hana Rehman at Siege Media who writes about the importance of color in your environment, especially in your home décor.  She pairs them with famous paintings with the calming palettes of color that may help soothe your home.  

Calming Color Inspiration From

Famous Serene Paintings

Since we have all been spending more time at home in the past year, many of us have taken to redecorating our spaces. Interior decorating leaves so much room for creativity and self-expression, and it allows us to curate our homes with artful colors and décor pieces that inspire us. 

It can be difficult to choose the best colors for your furniture, home décor, and accent pieces. However, if you’re interested in calming interior design palettes, you can learn more about some of the most soothing colors below through famous paintings that incorporate them. Then, take a look at the décor ideas paired with each painting to envision how each palette can benefit your environment. 

1. Blue

Blue is thought to be one of the most calming colors. Soft blues evoke feelings of contemplation, depth, and gentleness. They bring to mind both water and sky. Blues make for beautifully serene spaces, and are great options for paint colors and furniture pieces.

Hokusai’s famous woodblock painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa is an example of a painting with a pleasing palette thanks to its interplay of Prussian blue and indigo. It also incorporates a both pale yellow and a soft peach, serving as lovely compliments to the deep blue of the wave. Below you can find color and décor inspiration for incorporating the blues of this painting into your space.

Van Gogh’s The Starry Night is another example of an iconic painting that incorporates blue. Van Gogh’s blue color palette is more lively and cosmic, broken up by specks of white and the bright yellow moon and stars. 

2.  Green

Green is often a calming color that reminds us of the peace found in nature. Imagining lush plants and dense forests can boost your mood and leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Monet painted hundreds of versions of the water lilies in his garden in Giverny, France. Like many of them, this one includes not only the blue of the water, but the deep greens of the vegetation in and around it. The painting’s color palette pairs this forest green with light pinks and purples. If you’d like to incorporate more green into your space, take inspiration from this masterpiece. 

3. Yellow

Yellow is commonly associated with happiness, brightness, and warmth. It can be the perfect color to include if you would like to insert some energy into your space.

Mary Cassatt’s Impressionist painting In the Lodge weaves lovely golden-yellows with other warm-toned pigments, such as red and brown. Depicting a Parisian opera, the painting has an elegant and inviting atmosphere, one which you can capture at home by choosing traditional décor with a similar palette. 

Observing art history’s iconic works can help you learn what kinds of calming color relationships speak to you most and choose which ones will best suit your living space. However, color inspiration is all around us—if you come across any scene that moves you, take note of the colors so you can recreate them at home or in your own works.

Blogger Recounts Mental Health Journey and Creativity

 I was contacted a while back from a blogger to check out her site called "Creating My Odyssey" as she started to rebuild her creativity and talk about her mental health experiences.  She gave me permission to share one of her entries...and perhaps we will see more of her in the future with collaborative blogs!

Dried Up

 

When I was depressed, I didn't want to create art, and I felt really disappointed as an adult when I felt that way. As a moody teen and early twenties at home, my mother would say: 'When you feel like that, you should paint.' I appreciate her sentiment now, but I just didn't want to paint, or do anything artistic. She couldn't possibly understand because she wasn't made that way, and she never would. At least she tried, bless her.

But, as an adult, although, when depressed, I didn't have the inner spark to want to create art. I was happy to write though. That was easy. I had had light hearted anecdotal articles published too. And I could write exactly how I felt, particularly if I felt embarrassed and couldn't verbalise what I was thinking, especially if the thought concerned Husband.

For instance, I felt sad about my hobby, the wild west. What? You may well ask. (See what I mean about embarrassment?) I wanted to be a cowgirl, a rough 'n tough, smokin', cursin', drinkin', sharp shootin' frontierswoman. Not stuck at home, looking after family. And I couldn't indulge that hobby much because I didn't have the energy and also I felt out of it because of anxiety among the more intense living history re-enactors who I was anxious may judge (some did, because I was portraying an unconventional female character).

Husband, insightfully, had said long ago when I began to head into depressions, that he could see my hobby rearing its head and being the subject of my depression. I'd be obsessed with something (I was good at being obsessed with things) and the wild west was it. I was writing my novel (about a cowgirl, naturally...) and that did help, although, of course, I wanted my book to be perfect. So, yes – that was a subject I had to write about to make sense of it.

I had considered art therapy. To paint, draw or collage how I felt. That didn't work either. I didn't want to do any of that. In order to express how I felt, I wrote. If I did do anything artistic, the subject would be anything I would normally do, nothing to do with depression or anxiety. That was what writing did for me.

But I did, so much, want to be artistic. And I wanted to be happy working in my 'creative space' (I was too embarrassed – that word again – to call it an art studio) in our conservatory. But I wasn't, for a long time, happy working there. I'd be okay for a short time, then depression would gradually swallow me up. So I wrote a lot, about lots, and not in my creative space. It wasn't until really recently that I began to feel good about being there and being creative. It's taken this long.

And I'm delving into dark, dusty corners and discovering artwork that I'd done in the dark and distant past and forgotten about. 'Wow! That's good!' I've thought, occasionally. No time for modesty, thank you. Anyway, shoving modesty aside, I'm uploading them onto Facebook and my blog and getting lovely responses to them. I'm also on the verge of recreating and organising my art area. And I'm beginning to get quite excited about it. A plant or flowers here, a water feature there, paints here, pencils there, sketchbooks here, boxed canvases there...

Yay! Artistic me is coming back!

Website Shares Bright Illustrations for Mental Health Awareness and Self-care

There is a website that I recently discovered, Blessing Manifesting.com, out of my home state that I find very helpful as a therapist.  I enjoy using her brightly-colored artistic snapshots for mental health awareness, well-being, and self-care with patients and love that she makes them available to everyone.  I just wanted to share a few of her latest offerings and encourage you to check out her website and FB page.

Is Art Therapy the Best Treatment for PTSD?

It was nice to come across this article, as it supports the effectiveness of art therapy for mental health treatment, especially for PTSD.  I hope that the knowledge of art therapy continues to be known around the world as a integral treatment that is on par with or even exceeds the effectiveness of other therapies and should be included in all treatment settings.

Art Therapy Might Be The Perfect Treatment For PTSD

by Madison Linnihan

 June 30, 2017

While some wounds, like scars, are visible to everyone, other wounds go unnoticed, trapped inside the human mind. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is commonly found in veterans. Unfortunately, many veterans don’t get the treatment that they need to recover from this invisible struggle. Oftentimes, veterans are afraid to speak up about their PTSD because they worry about the mental health stigma that accompanies it.

Melissa Walker, an art therapist at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), explains that PTSD shuts down the speech-language area of the brain and renders sufferers speechless with fear. This is the reason why so many of our nation’s bravest return home and suffer in solitude. Recovering from PTSD involves working through these traumatic experiences that the sufferers don’t usually want to talk about. Thankfully, Walker explains that art therapy could be the perfect treatment for PTSD.

Art as a Psychotherapeutic Therapy

Walker says in her TED Talk, “Art Can Heal PTSD’s Invisible Wounds,” that “the process of art therapy bypasses the speech-language issue with the brain. Art-making accesses the same sensory areas of the brain that encode trauma. Service members can use the art-making to work through their experiences in a non-threatening way”. Additionally, the Art Therapy article, “Art Therapy Helping Veterans,” states, “Sometimes a person just can’t face the fact that it is okay to leave the baggage of war behind. By expressing how one really feels in the pit of the soul through the use of art, perhaps the mind can begin to let go of the trauma by transferring the images and ideas to another object of their creation through the medium of art”.

Furthermore, art helps veterans suffering from PTSD reintegrate their left side of their brain with their right side. By creating artwork, PTSD sufferers can slowly learn to voice their experiences and move passed their fears. At the same time, art also allows veterans take their mind off the things that are bothering them at the same time that they are confronting them.

PTSD and Mask-Making

While Walker explains that all types of art can benefit veterans with PTSD, she’s seen the most success in mask-making. Perhaps the reason that mask-making is such an effective therapy is that it allows veterans to give a literal face to their fears. Walker says, “when service members create these masks, it allows them to come to grips, literally, with their trauma. And it’s amazing how often that enables them to break through the trauma and start to heal”.

Additionally, the article, “Healing Invisible Wounds: Art Therapy and PTSD,” by Renee Fabian, also reaffirms the success of mask making. Fabian writes, “Clients examine feelings and thoughts about trauma by making a mask or drawing a feeling and discussing it. Art builds grounding and coping skills by photographing pleasant objects. It can help tell the story of trauma by creating a graphic timeline”.

One of the veterans that Walker worked with at NICoE says that after making masks, he was able to speak up about experiences that he hadn’t been able to talk about for 23 years. He explains, “You sort of just zone out into the mask. You zone out into the drawing, and for me, it just released the block, so I was able to do it.”

In a world where there are so many different treatment plans for physical wounds, it’s nice to know that people are working to help those with invisible ones. Art Therapy could be the perfect treatment for PTSD. 

Tags: Air forceArmyartArt TherapyCoast GuarddeploymentDODhealthInvisible woundsMarine CorpsMask ProjectMelissa WalkerMental HealthMilitaryPTSDTED TalkTransitionveteranVeteranswar

Madison Linnihan

Madison Linnihan is a contributing editor with AmeriForce Media. She currently writes weekly blog posts for Military Families Magazine and The Reserve & National Guard Magazine, as well as contributing feature articles to both magazines. She is a senior at Troy University with an English Major and dance minor.

Musical Meme Illustrates Couples Therapy

A cute music/therapy crossover.

 Sound familiar to any couples therapists?

(h/t NPR Classical)

 

CIA Agent Uses Art Therapy to Heal from TBI

I read this interesting article about a CIA agent who received TBI treatment at the NICoE.  What I also found encouraging was that he noted art therapy to be one of the most helpful aspects of his treatment.

After 26 years with the CIA, I had silent wounds

Opinion by Marc Polymeropoulos

Updated 10:19 AM EDT, Tue March 16, 2021

"But what was most useful for me was the softer side of healing that is science based and proven to be effective in treating TBI.

A mask therapy program at the NICoE, in which TBI victims are encouraged by trained art therapists to express themselves by creating masks, helped me tremendously.

I put a great deal of thought and time into my mask -- a Superman-inspired one -- and wrote an accompanying poem. Both signified what my family thought of me for so long. A once invincible case officer on the tip of the spear for the US government, who served bravely and with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places I cannot name.

The mask was attached to a wooden plaque, with the background of the CIA seal cracked in half. It symbolized how I later had to fight some in the organization in order to obtain proper medical care. An ice pick is drilled through the mask as well, showing the headaches I still suffer from 24/7. Making this mask was a deeply cathartic experience for me, which -- along with talking to the resident chaplain and other talented mental health professionals -- has helped me begin to heal from the moral injury that I suffered. My kids recently sent me a text that stated "Dad, you are still our superman." I bawled like a baby."

Happy National Creative Arts Therapies Week!

Happy to be a part of it! What are you doing to celebrate and make creative arts therapies known?

Art Therapist Brings Creative Ways for Frontline Workers to Cope with Stress from COVID-19

It is refreshing to find a story that highlights the use of art therapy with front line workers who have been dealing with the unprecedented stress of dealing with COVID-19.  Thanks to Spectrum News for featuring this, and to art therapist Zulay Romero for using our practice to help those in need as they work tirelessly to help others.

Frontline Workers Use Art Therapy to Cope With Stress

By Jenna Rae Gaertner Craven County

PUBLISHED 11:37 AM ET Feb. 08, 2021

What You Need To Know

• Frontline workers have dealt with a lot of stress over the past year, but some are turning to art therapy to help relieve stress.
• Zulay Romero, an art therapist, is offering some free art therapy sessions for frontline workers at CarolinaEast Medical Center.
• Art therapy is found in many major cities across the state, but it is not utilized in many rural areas and smaller cities.

CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. — Many frontline workers have dealt with a lot of pressure and anxiety caused by the unprecedented year of 2020. 

“It's been very stressful,” Jennifer Lewis, laboratory director at CarolinaEast Medical Center, says. “We are responsible for the implementation of the new test for the COVID virus, especially. And worrying about our staff staying safe, worrying about our own self, worrying about our families. So, it's been very stressful this whole year.” 

More people are finding that creativity is a good outlet to help manage this stress, and some frontline workers are turning to art therapy to release built-up tension.

Zulay Romero is an art therapist who experienced the challenges of COVID-19 first hand when she and her family caught the virus last year. Ever since then she has had an even bigger heart for these frontline workers.

“One day in the mail they just announced, 'hey we're struggling. We need prayers; we need support.' And so, I immediately was like 'I gotta do something,'” Romero says. 

Romero decided to offer free art therapy sessions to employees at CarolinaEast Medical Center to specifically address COVID-related stress.

“Art therapy allows that exploration of what I'm feeling, when I'm feeling it, and how I'm feeling it,” she says.

Romero added it's often hard for people to put their frustrations into words, but art gives people a new way to communicate emotion.

“I'll tell them like, you don't have to talk to me. Lets just release everything, and as soon as they release, they're like 'this is what I released.' Because a lot of times we do hold onto that. And when we hold onto things mentally and emotionally, it becomes very physical,” she says.

Art therapists use a lot of different mediums from clay to watercolor, but Romero's personal favorite is collage, because it doesn't require perfection.

“A lot of times I do use collage interventions and call it release artwork, where they can choose images that relate to how they're feeling, thoughts that they've had that they just want to put on paper and leave on paper,” she says.

Art therapists can be found in many major cities in North Carolina, including Raleigh, Durham, and Asheville. However, Romero decided to return to her hometown in New Bern when she realized that many smaller cities have not yet taken advantage of the benefits art therapy offers. The American Art Therapy Association has more information about where art therapists are located and what kind of resources they provide.

Romero has one last piece of advice for those who are interested in art therapy: “Be as authentic as you possibly can. Like I said earlier, it's your story. It's no one else's, so whatever you create, don't think of it as is it good or is it bad. Think of it as I need this in this moment, and that's OK.” 

Decreasing the Stigma of Seeking Behavioral Health Treatment

This is a good start trying to decrease the stigma of seeking out support for psychological needs among the military.  As of now, the behavioral health department is the largest department in many, if not most, MTFs currently.  There are a lot of services available to military members and dependents as well that are available for them to take advantage of when dealing with military trauma as well as everyday life issues.  I think the stigma has diminished, but changing a way of thinking within an organization as well as not taking actions seen as punitive as a result of seeking help takes time and can always be improved.  I hope that the military - and society in general - no longer see going to a therapist or psychiatrist any different as going to the doctor when you have a cold.

Making an Altered Book to Process 2020

I was thinking I need to do more art lately. I came across a 2020 planner that I never ended up using at all, and it's a cute little hardback calendar. I hate to throw out a totally unused item, and then I got to thinking....I recommend altered book making to my clients fairly often, and had the epiphany that I should turn the planner into an altered book to process the year. I started the first pages today! I will keep adding to this post as I finish other pages. I hope you enjoy this as well and perhaps consider making your own art, too!

The Impact of the COVID19 Pandemic on Aspects of Mental Health

I saw some relevant news from MedPage Today regarding the impact of the pandemic on mental health, psychiatric practitioners, and the way we do therapy as a result. I still see at least 50% of my patients virtually now. I'll put all the articles here for convenience: 

More and more psychiatrists are facing burnout amid the pandemic-related mental health crisis. (Business Insider)  

https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-mental-health-crisis-last-two-decades-psychiatrists-burning-out-2021-1 

Reflecting this crisis, wait times for a psychiatric-unit bed are sometimes reaching a month long in Massachusetts. (Cambridge Day)  

https://www.cambridgeday.com/2021/01/08/lack-of-psychiatric-beds-can-mean-30-day-waits-for-people-in-crisis-filling-up-emergency-rooms/ 

According to a study including a representative sample of the U.S. adult population ages 20 and older, telehealth was utilized by more than half of patients for a behavioral health condition during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Journal of General Internal Medicine) 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-020-06358-0

A Splintered Mind

I came across this song the other day, and listening to the lyrics, it reminds me a lot of patients I work with. Many times music can capture an experience or emotion.  Perhaps it might resonate with you.

 

Guest Blog: The Healing Power of Art in the Home

I am pleased to present a guest post from Pia De Los Reyes, a writer who specializes in the lifestyle and insurance spaces. She earned an M.A. in Communication after using her passion for mental health to study social support and expressive writing. Here, she shares with us the importance of art in our homes and how artistic décor affects our psychology.

The Healing Power of Art in the Home

by Pia De Los Reyes

Art in the home does more than just serving up beautiful aesthetics. Research has shown that viewing art actually comes with a variety of mental health, wellness, and community benefits, and art therapy has an incredible power to help with healing. With more time being spent at home now more than ever, it’s important to curate your home art in a way that inspires, stimulates, and brings meaning to your space. 

Learn about the diverse benefits of art in the home and how to curate your own collection at home.

Please include attribution to https://www.thezebra.com/ with this graphic.

Mental Health Benefits of Art

According to a Harvard study, making and viewing art helps to stimulate memory and interpersonal connection. This was especially beneficial for individuals with dementia and older adults. Expression through art was also found to help reduce depression, stress, and anxiety. Art can also help those with cancer cope and create meaning in the wake of their diagnosis. 

Wellness Benefits of Art 

Curated art in your home not only showcases your personality, but allows you to welcome a host of positive thoughts and feelings into your space. Art cultivates empathy and inspires creativity, and it offers opportunities for conversation and critical thinking. Viewing art is also proven to trigger pleasure by releasing dopamine in our brains.  

Community Benefits of Art

Investing in art from local artists or galleries helps to infuse money into the local community. Supporting local art also comes with perks like getting to know the artist more personally and purchasing art that often has a connection to the community. 

How to Curate Your Own Art

It’s easy to reap the benefits that displaying art can bring to your home. Get started with these five tips: 

1. Get inspired by your personal style! Use your favorite colors and textures as a starting point, create an inspiration board, and mix and match from there.

2. Choose pieces that speak to you. If your art is meant to heal, pick pieces that express your journey. Art in your home should uplift your soul and bring you joy everyday.

3. Add a personal touch. Personalized art adds meaning to your space. Choose pieces that represent your heritage or special moments in your life. Commission a piece if you can’t find one that already exists or make one yourself!

4. Display like a pro. Hang solo pieces at eye level for maximum enjoyment or group multiple pieces using the rule of three. 

5. Protect your investments. If you invest in or commission art pieces, remember to include them in personal property protection within your home insurance. Take care to monitor humidity levels and keep pieces out of direct sunlight to prevent damage as well.

Artistic expression comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The process of expressing yourself is what helps to bring on the many benefits of art. Enjoy the process and bring the healing power of art to your home by curating your collection today! 

Mom.com Features Color Me Happy and Color Me Grateful Among Best Coloring Books for Moms

I'm continuing to be amazed at where I find my books. Sometimes they are "new" finds for me, even though they've been online for a while. Here I found both "Color Me Grateful" and "Color Me Happy" on Mom.com's "Amazing and Beautiful Coloring Books for Moms." It's fun to discover, and I'm glad that people are still getting use from them! Thank you for featuring them!

https://mom.com/momlife/37353-amazing-beautiful-coloring-books-moms

"Mom and Me" Gets Instagram Love

I'm glad "Mom & Me" is getting some love on Instagram! Thanks for sharing! @Tammyalfultis