By Lisa Lounsbury
A weekend slip in my addiction recovery process felt like the proverbial faceplant in the dirt. I needed to make a change. Only going to meetings clearly wasn’t keeping me sober anymore. In frustration and angst, I picked up my paintbrushes and began making large, energetic brush strokes on paper – marks that depicted the raw expression of all of my tangled emotions. I continued to add more color, more brush strokes, and more output of energy until I had the feeling that I was spent. I realized I felt better. I could breathe. I had created from a raw and unfiltered space deep down in my gut. I felt a sense of release followed by relief. I felt different, transformed. I decided then to add the process of making an art journal, a form of visual prayer, to my recovery journey. I would talk to God, listen to scripture, and paint with abandon, without any expectation of a specific outcome. It was a very freeing experience.
Over the past 18+ years of sobriety, I continued to attend meetings and make art. It’s the art making with God that initially kept me feeling stable and grounded so I could keep going to meetings and being around others. The art making helped me establish a better relationship with God, and God helped me to see myself as a valued part of that community. That’s how art therapy can work, especially for people in recovery from addictions. We need to feel grounded in a relationship with a Higher Power and feel like we belong.
From a neurological standpoint, art making gives the individual a dopamine and endorphin loop, similar to what alcohol and drugs do, as the same part of the brain is activated. Also, the novelty of being asked to create art based on a specific topic or situation initiates neural pathway growth, contributing to brain plasticity. Art making can be a constructive, rather than destructive, way to get relief.
When I see clients in treatment centers who are 1-3 days sober, oftentimes, they are so shaky that they can barely hold a paintbrush, so I give them air dry clay to mold and shape. Frequently, clients can’t put into words how they are feeling. Their cognitive abilities are foggy as they are still under the influence and can’t think straight. Art therapy is perfect for them. With the clay, they are getting a kinesthetic experience to take on some of their fear, angst, and anxiety. The client is able to ameliorate their feelings into the art, like the material is absorbing their emotions. The client ends up feeling better without knowing why and starts asking for other art materials to create alongside their group mates.
Art therapy helps individuals gain understanding. A trained art therapist can help a client recognize what shows up in their artwork. For example, in one of our groups, a man was painting a mask to look like a hockey goalie mask. As we discussed its meaning, he suddenly realized his addiction path started after an injury ended his recruitment to become a professional hockey goalie.
Art therapy is a way for individuals to make a statement about who they are, gain mastery over materials and improve their self-esteem as well as learn about relationship patterns. In group sessions, people are able to connect with each other and develop a sense of community as they acknowledge and celebrate their individuality.
Art can speak when words fail us.
Read about the Premier Arts Collective Partnership Program with ANEW + Art Lab Rx.
