How crafts help ease the pain for Cancer Patients
Medicine cures the Body but art heals the spirit.
The National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Association has found that creative arts can mean the difference between pain & comfort.
Art has the ability to affect the body physically when your mind is active & you're doing something you love that makes you happy. Your pain levels are lessoned. Your mind is occupied & focused on something else so you're distracted from the pain & your condition. It reduces anxiety as well.
Cancer patients can suffer from depression & fatigue. By allowing yourself to free your mind from your current state & focus on fun activities, your changing the way you physically & emotionally feel. Many cancer patients love what they create so much that many turn what they do into a business.
Mancy cancer patients turn their sales into something more valuable by donating what they earned to help other cancer patients with in-kind donations or they create fundraisers in order to give back. This experience gives them a sense of pride, accomplishment & a sense of purpose.
There are 3 things you can do to help create a happy & healthy environment for you or those suffering with cancer.
1. Help to create a safe space, an area they or you will feel comforted & relaxed so you can create. Creative therapy is a form of mediation While you're crafting you can pay some meditation. Music also known as spa or soft trance is great to help set a relaxing mood. If the room is too bright, either dim the lights or light some candles that are placed in water to avoid issues. I place all my candles in water to help avoid fires.
2. Start an art journal or write poems for self expression. Instead of writing, draw your emotions. Pinterest has tons of ideas for craft projects specifically dealing with cancer. Craft projects are considered to be an untapped source of creativity.
3. Enjoy what you're doing. The value of art therapy is not the end product, it's how you feel during the process that matters most.
The Artist Within offers art classes to Cancer Patients. It is located at 86 East Rockaway Avenue, Hewlett, New York 11557.
Cohen's Children's Medical Center - Child Life & Therapy Program
In order to participate in the program you must call first. 718-470-3005
The program is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Memorial Sloan Kettering - Art Therapy Open Studio Program
This program is for all current and former patients. The Art Therapy Open Studio is open every Tuesday from 10:00 - 4:00 pm
Kravis Children's Hospital - Mount Sinai Programs
1. The Child Life Zone offers a therapeutic & educational play environment for pediatric patients & their families.
2. Kidzone TV - a state-of-the-art interactive production& internal broadcast studio.
3. Paws & Play supported by Petsmart charities. It is the facility dog program which pairs animal-assisted therapy with skills of a certified child life specialist to provide therapeutic interventions for patients & families.
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Art therapy is used by people with depression, anxiety, addiction, people with chronic limiting illnesses including cancer, people with disabilities, people with relationship problems, eating disorders, learning disabilities and in senior citizen homes.
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Art therapy is used by people with depression, anxiety, addiction, people with chronic limiting illnesses including cancer, people with disabilities, people with relationship problems, eating disorders, learning disabilities and in senior citizen homes. Child psychologist and therapist also use art therapy for their patients.
In many cases art therapy has proven to be a valuable compliment to medication & talk therapy for many forms of phobias & people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
According to Robert Reiner, Phd, an NYU psychologist "The act of performing a craft is incompatible with worry, anger, obsession & anxiety. Crafts make you concentrate & focus on the here & now & distract you from everyday pressures & problems. They're stress busters in the same way that mediation, deep breathing, visual imagery & watching fish are."
When we hear people talk about crafting, many people automatically think hobby or things people create to sell to others. It is rare people would associate it with or as a sort of therapeutic or healing process.
Crafting is much more than a personal outlet for self expression. Crafters do it because they love it but many crafters such as myself create in order to help with my depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Doing crafts is a way to pass time, it is a way of life. Crafting of any kind helps to reduce anxiety, improve your mood & increases happiness.
Crafting is known as a secret weapon against fighting depression. What is major depression? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is considered a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Major depression or depression on any level is considered one of the most common mental disorders in the US.
There are many people who do not believe in using medications & who refuse to go see a therapist or psychologist because they do not want to air out their issues to strangers. I myself have heard people say this to me when I have referred them to therapists. Consider this form of therapy a non-medicated alternative.
By focusing on your craft you are creating an element of positive energy & it allows you to focus primarily on the positive things going on in your life. Being fully "focused" on a craft project can have an effect similar to meditation as it significantly reduces a person's state of anxiety while lifting your spirit. By being creative you are giving yourself a unique opportunity to express yourself and change your perspective on life which can help change your negative emotions into positive emotions. It helps you forget your condition, your troubles & your state of mind by elevating your mood. It makes you happy for a long period of time.
Crafting allows your imagination to run wild. It can transform you while healing you. It is great for our mental, physical & spiritual health because it is therapeutic. It helps relieve stress from everyday pressures, ease your pain & distracts your mind while healing your soul.
Art therapy is great for health & our relationships for many reasons. It keeps our hands, heart & mind busy while keeping us sane.
According to Herbert Benson, MD, Harvard Universities world-renowned mind/body expert, repetitive & rhythmic crafts such as knitting may even evoke what he calls the relaxation response - a feeling of bodily & mental calm that has been scientifically proven to enhance health & reduce the risk of heat disease, anxiety & depression. Encourage your loved ones to get creative.
Always talk to a healthcare provider as they feel medications and/or counseling is necessary; however in addition to the traditional recommendations, consider art therapy.
Many people put crafting to the side or don't see the benefits from it so they put it in on the bottom of their to do list. Some feel guilty for doing something for themselves.Some find it counterproductive but as you can clearly see after this article, crafting is extremely beneficial.
It is been proven that crafting is good for our health. I cannot stress that enough. Crafting is a way of valuing yourself & giving to yourself by soothing your soul & distressing your body & mind.
Craft alone, with a partner or in a group setting but make sure you craft & enjoy it.
Project 9 Line offers veterans including those suffering from PTSD, support meeting, creativity & social activity experiences plus more. A particular focus is placed upon helping veterans showcase their talent through art therapy.
www.project9line.org
Crafting is considered a non-medical way of stimulating dopamine, which ultimately makes you happy.
How is crafting beneficial to children, individuals with disabilities and so on?
Crafting is beneficial to Children who are abused often have a hard time expressing themselves. Crafting is a powerful stress reliever and relaxation aid. Often during therapy sessions, abused children are asking to draw pictures to help therapists gain access to their feelings & fears. It provides children with a unique form of expression, communication & release. Crafting becomes their outlet.
Craft therapy is used as a part of therapeutic rehabilitation for disabled individuals, people with special needs, the mentally disadvantaged & those with substance abuse problems.
I spent 2 summers volunteering at Camp A.N.C.H.O.R. in Lido Beach. Not only was it an amazing experience, it offered a variety of classroom settings for children & young adults.
All the activities were fun & the environment was beautiful & peaceful believe it or not. They used all forms of craft therapy or as they call it craft classes. I believe all this combined along with the staff helps to create a long lasting happy & healthy environment which is why it always has such a long waiting list.
Crafting overall is an important factor of life. Pediatric occupational therapy uses crafts to help children fully participate, achieve at school, at home & in the community. There are a number
Did you know that crafting actually impacts the brain's neural connections. Brain development and psychological development involve continuous interactions between a child and the external environment which is why crafting in a social settings is so important.
]]>Children love to get messy, build things, create things and sometimes create unintentional havoc.
Did you know that art of any kind will not only keep them occupied but it also helps with their growth development? Crafting is more than creating a mess or what we refer to it as their beautiful art that we save for many years. My daughter is 19 and I still have her artwork from when she was a baby. From her little love notes that made no sense at all, stick figure people and everything you can think of.
Crafting is beneficial for their minds, little souls and it makes them happy. After a long day of work, many times the last thing we want to see are messes all of the floor or the dinner table. I promise you, all those messes will be worth it in the end.
Children get excited to create and show it off. Now imagine if they are sharing that experience with their friends, classmates, siblings or even their parents. Crafting in a social environment helps them with social development because there is no judgment from their peers or parents. We as parents get excited whenthey are excited about what they have accomplished.
When you craft with your child or they craft with other individuals, they are also learning how to accept other people's perception. It gives them the opportunity to appreciate the differences between their ideas and creative art.
Group sessions teach them how to share things and work together. Sharing is caring as the famous phrase goes. They also learn how to accept responsibilities such as cleaning up after themselves. They will also learn how their actions will affect others whether it is because they did not do their part in cleaning up or because they said something about someone else's art that hurt them or made them feel good. Not all actions learned are bad.
Group art encourages relationships and trust with one another. Crafting of any kind helps your children coordinate their thoughts and motions which a key step to development.
Did you know that crafting actually impacts the brain's neural connections. Brain development and psychological development involve continuous interactions between a child and the external environment which is why crafting in a social settings is so important. Learning anything such as crafts or the developmental growth that comes with it allows the brain to organize and reorganize. Different parts of the brain learn at different times.
Crafting explores many aspect of the brain as well as coordination and mobility. It increases their senses and deep thinking. Art encourages fine motor coordination such as drawing, recognizing and understanding the difference patterns, dressing & eating. It allows them the opportunity to learn the difference between abstract and reality, making observations about the world and forming mental representations of what is real or imagined.
Crafting develops comprehensive thinking capabilities through the interaction of complex thought. Believe it or not dance and theater spark creativity and get their bodies moving. Children then tend to become more conscious of their physical presence and use of space.
Crafting helps with their bilateral coordination which requires your child to use both their hands together. This is a skill used for tying shoes. Drawing, playing an instrument and writing provide physical benefits by helping them gain control over the small muscles in their hands.
Creative art teaches them self regulation. Many crafts require self control and patience for crafts as they require a long drying time.
Crafting of any kind is actually one of the best self-esteem boosters you can utilize to help encourage positive outlooks about themselves. It offers them a sense of accomplishment and pride.
The number one benefit from crafting is the bonding and fun you get from it when you do it together as a family. When you spend time together you create a bond and have fun together.
Art is essential for your child's development, especially if mental or behavioral issues are present.
Art in general soothes the soul, heals the spirit, and has many developmental, mental and emotional benefits. The topic of creative art is so immense that I am going to break it up into several articles. By the time I am done, I will have every single family member running to get art supplies.
Art becomes a way of LIFE. It serves as MEDITATION & a STRESS RELIEF.