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Art Recovery

Recovery Through Creativity

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, utilizing art in recovery can help patients express themselves in a non-verbal, imaginative, and creative manner. Activities with art can include incident drawings or drawing/painting your emotions. These techniques help patients achieve a creative process. Viewing, discussing, and interpreting the art in sessions can help motivate patients to change by moving them away from reflecting on the past and into a state of action. Integrating art into treatment encourages active mind-body strategies. Patients can be motivated to change internally through the creation of imagery. Incorporating the 12-steps of recovery can help break down resistance and facilitate acceptance of recovery.

Art Recovery

NorthShore recognizes the role that art and other creative outlets can have on the recovery process. Everything from pastels, oil painting, graphic design, and writing will be used to encourage self-expression and artistic ability.

Benefits of Art Recovery include:

  • Decreasing denial
  • Reducing opposition to treatment
  • Providing an outlet for communication
  • Lessening shame
  • Creating positive images of recovery