Art therapy by Mia Willis

(Lin, et al. 2)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:11:25 UTC

“In his study, De Morais actively engaged psychiatric patients with clay, demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing anxiety among them. He argued that art therapy, serving as a non-verbal means of expressing emotions, plays a pivotal role in anxiety reduction (de Morais et al., 2014). Creative art therapy is a concentrated form of psychotherapy that includes a wide range of activities (such as meditation, body movement, art, dance, acting, painting, expression, puppetry, and storytelling) that can reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in patients (Eum and Yim, 2015; Kulari, 2017).”

(Beerse, Megan E., et al. 3)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:12:00 UTC

“Researchers have documented how art making activates the medial prefrontal cortex using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, suggesting that it may have the ability to activate reward pathways and positively reinforce concepts linked with the art (Kaimal et al., 2017).”

(Raymond Odeh., et al. 2)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:12:33 UTC

“The early stages of plant cultivation in the Upper Paleolithic Period and domestication of plants and farming in the Neolithic Period [2] gave rise to the emergence of cities and civilizations. Thus, the cultivation of plants, gardens, and gardening has been an enduring integral factor in our adaptive ability and well-being as a species.”

(Raymond Odeh., et al. 6)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:13:03 UTC

“The post-session review considered general group interest, engagement, and participation in the activities and recalled unsolicited feedback from unidentified participants such as "I had fun," "I liked planting seeds," or "I liked last week’s art activity better than today’s," as well as whether participants were interactive with other participants in cooperative group activities.”

(Beerse, Megan E., et al. 4)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:13:46 UTC

“The study staff reviewed HR and BP read- ings before participants left to ensure no readings were above 180 mm Hg for systolic BP, 110 mm Hg for diastolic BP, or 100 beats per minute (BPM) for HR. No incidental findings were observed for HR or BP.” (Raymond Odeh., et al. 9)

clay-sculpting has been shown to activate memory processes, induce meditative and emotional states through elevated theta wave frequency, and enhance spatial–temporal processing in the brain (Budzynski, 2006; Kruk et al., 2014). It has the ability to expedite emotional expression, facilitate catharsis, and concretize and symbolize more abstract concepts like thoughts and feelings (Sholt & Gavron,2006). Furthermore, it has also been demonstrated to significantly decrease salivary cortisol levels (Kaimal et al., 2016), negative mood (Kimport & Robbins, 2012) and anxiety (Aaron et al., 2011).”

(Van Lith, Theresa, et al. 4)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:14:20 UTC

The overall themes identified for the NCT group were:
Allowance for flow, refocusing/calming down in the midst
of stressors, allowance for playfulness and imperfection,
increased dedication to self-care, and desire for more guid-
ance with self-care or mental health

(Vitagliano, Luke A., et al.)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:14:50 UTC

“Exposure to natural environments is effective in reducing anxiety [16–20] and im- proving mental health and well-being [21,22]. College students benefit from spending time in nature [23,24], with natural environments and greenspaces easily accessible on campuses [25]. Because both exposure to nature and mindfulness practices are effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, engaging in mindfulness practice in nature may have a greater impact on anxiety and enhance well-being [26,27].”

(Van Lith, Theresa, et al. 6)

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:21:00 UTC

“Throughout the interviews, participants reported that they learned new coping skills, as well as new ways of looking at stress. For instance, Arianna described how utilizing clay was important in her process of understanding her stress. As she shared: “One of the self-care studies had us mold the clay to what your stress feels like, and so I kind of was just squeezing it ... I was like, that’s probably what my stress feels like ... I think being able to see it and visualize it kind of
helped me come to terms with it and then get over it more.”

Connection

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:37:56 UTC

Both articles discuss the positive benefits of clay-based practices.

Testimonies

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:39:31 UTC

Both articles include participants who were a part of the experiments and their experiences while doing certain projects, which appeals to credibility.

Connection

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:40:55 UTC

Both articles give scientific explanations about what art does to a person biologically.

Connection

willi62l — 2025-02-17 13:42:01 UTC

Both articles discuss nature and its components and benefits in a person’s life.