8 Ways Art Therapy Can Ease Post Natal Depression

I originally wrote this piece for my blog "Woven Stars & Chocolate Bars" (www.mindfulmysticmama.com).  I figured it was relevant to share here as well, so here you go!

As an augmentation or addition to conventional therapy and treatment, art therapy can hold great benefits for mothers who are suffering from postnatal (aka: postpartum) depression.   The uses and benefits of art therapy are incredibly extensive.

It is a form of expressive therapy that engages creativity and imagination to stimulate the artistic process in order to bring around healing and balance in the emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual states of a person.  Here is how art therapy can help this sometimes very debilitating problem.

I have worked as a movement and dance therapist for many years, and it is always such a deeply enriching experience to incorporate various art mediums into movement healing work.  The beauty in all of this, ultimately, is observing the profound shifts and changes in people as they come to a deeper understanding and love for themselves.

For mothers seeking relief from postnatal depression, the first step would be to recognize what it is.  See it for what it is.  As a society, we need to release the stigma surrounding postnatal depression.  This is not a rare occurence, so no woman should feel ashamed or segregated if she finds herself navigating these difficult waters, thrown into turbulence by what are very natural swings in hormonal changes.

Take extreme lack of sleep and intense changes to lifestyle and relationships, and throw that in with the ever mixing hormonal cocktail… well, it really makes me wonder if we shouldn’t adjust our thinking to an understanding that all women who have recently given birth will come across as ‘depressed’.

For any women who are experiencing the strong currents of postnatal depression, and you feel that art therapy would be of benefit to you, here are some tips to take with you on your journey:

1) Remember it is not about talent or having a creative ‘gift’.  Truly, we are all creative.  The therapist will guide you in the art project, although the feelings you express and how you express them are entirely up to you.  If you are seeking art therapy to help treat postnatal depression, you can relieve yourself of the notion of impressing people with your artwork.  Don’t worry, this is a therapeutic process, not an art gallery!

2) Creative arts do not have to mean painting and drawing.  Dance, ceramics and sculpture can be part of art therapy too.  Choose something that fits you well and that you truly enjoy doing.

3) Emotional release is a big part of how art therapy can combat postnatal depression.  While hormones play a significant role in postnatal depression, there may be underlying issues that are trying to surface during this vulnerable time.

4) Creative arts can show us ourselves.  In one type of art therapy, participants make and decorate plaster masks of their own faces. They then decorate the masks to express how they feel.  This can be very revealing, and helpful, in so many ways that one may not comprehend until they have experienced the process.

5) The abstract, the emotions, are all put into something tangible – the artwork.   This can help the depressed woman get a handle on emotions that seem so incredibly huge and much too overwhelming.  Art therapy helps to put them in perspective, and to press the ‘deflate’ button simply by bringing them into conscious awareness.

6) When there are no words for how you feel, art therapy can express those things that are hard to express or explain.  The important thing in this process is to let them out, and to give them a ‘voice’.

7) Momentary escape from the daily grind and becoming engaged in the creative process can be just the break a new mama needs.

8) Art therapy practiced in groups can connect the depressed mother to others, helping to relieve the isolated feelings often experienced in postnatal depression.

If you wish to read more and dive a bit deeper into the world art therapy, two really wonderful resources are The Healing Power of Art (this is a workshop), and Art Can Heal Your Life.  This is a very comprehensive book written by Shaun McNiff.

All art therapy processes are highly enjoyable, and fill us with renewed health, hope, and vibrancy!  It is a calling, to bring us home to ourselves.