Art Therapy for men with post-operative depression
It’s no secret that many people suffer mental disorders, and here in the United States postoperative depression in particular seems to hit a lot of families. Several recent studies, however, have demonstrated how art therapy is an effective means to deal with certain mental illnesses, including this type of depression.
It’s not uncommon, particularly among men, to emerge from surgery only to be faced with short-term mental depression, a condition they may have never experienced before. Hence, all the pain and anguish that comes with depression is new to them, something they are ill-equipped to deal with on their own.
When they seek professional help, most doctors default to pharmaceutical drugs to help their patients cope with the condition – even though the long-term efficacy of SSRI’s and similar antidepressant medications are often suspect.
What is post-operative depression?
Postoperative depression is usually a temporary condition, meaning patients will heal naturally over time, rendering the use of medications like Prozac to be nothing short of overkill. Nevertheless, short-term depression can still be debilitating and as such is something, which needs to be addressed. Enter art therapy.
This special form of therapy can help heal post-operative men by detecting the presence of emotional pain. If emotional distress becomes apparent, art therapy is then applied to treat any depressive symptoms.
One of the main benefits to this approach is its ability to bring subconscious thoughts and feelings to the surface. Without this form of therapy, these thoughts might otherwise never surface, particularly among men, as they tend to be more prone to shutting down their emotions than women.
There are many ways people can employ this therapeutic technique, especially after recovering from surgery. The following techniques can help a person express their emotions.
They include: drawing and painting one’s emotions, creating an emotion wheel, meditative painting, starting a journal, puppet therapy, using line art, designing a postcard they will never send, creating a family sculpture, painting a mountain or valley, attaching a drawing or message to a balloon and sending it up to the heavens, and creating a collage heart.
When dealing with conflicting emotions resulting from postoperative mental illnesses, therapeutic art creates a relaxing environment for people. If you’re someone still feeling stressed out from your operation regardless of its outcome, these techniques will help make you feel better.
They include: painting to music, making a scribble drawing, finger painting, making a mandala, drawing with your eyes shut, drawing something huge, using color blocks, using only calming colors, drawing in the sand, coloring in a design, drawing outside with nature, and just allowing yourself be free.
Therapeutic art can be used to not only focus on the bad aspects of someone’s life, but to celebrate the good. Creating imagery of your perfect day or taking a beautiful photograph of a spot that makes you happy can bring you peace and serenity.
Self-Therapy
Creating portraits of yourself — or someone else — is a great way to get to know yourself or somebody around you. Art can also be used to help overcome trauma or loss by drawing a special happy place where you feel safe, or by incorporating your loss into a beautiful work of art. It can also be used to depict how you view yourself, particularly after a cosmetic procedure. The art that is created can be used to express how you see your perfect self, if such a thing even exists.
This approach has been used as a means of therapy for roughly one hundred years. Just about anyone can benefit from this form of therapy because it heals mental illnesses, brain injuries, and emotions left behind from abuse or violence, etc.
Many men don’t tend to know how to cope with their emotions, or don’t expect the onslaught of emotions they may feel after a cosmetic procedure or operation of any kind.
This form of therapy is also beneficial because some men resist certain medications for fear of side effects that could possibly decrease their libidos. Art therapy can substitute having to absorb different pills into their bodies and leave them feeling just as relaxed and healed as a trip to the pharmacist might do them.
Art therapy is defined as the practice of using “the process of creating art to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages”. It is based on the concept that the creative process and artistic self-expression helps to resolve conflicts within the self.
Whether suffering a physical or psychological issue, art can be used as a means to heal. Hospitals, community centers, nursing homes and schools are increasingly employing art therapy as a way to help people better communicate with themselves and those around them. Art therapy is a very powerful means of expression that benefits everyone who tries it, helping us deal with all that’s wrong both inside ourselves and in our external surroundings.
—
Guest post by: Zwivel
