30 Therapeutic Activities To Do in Recovery

Ruth Davey, the founder/director of Look Again has made a short video to give a taste of mindful photography and its benefits. Self-portraiture using a range of materials can be very cathartic, and a series of self-portraits can reflect how a client sees themselves changing over time. These can be made by drawing, painting, mask making, sculpture, photography, or mixed art therapy ideas for adults in recovery media using a combination of these materials.

The Future of Art Therapy in Addiction Treatment

• Here are some of the top art therapy ideas tailored to support and nurture the recovery process.
• Addiction recovery art is not just about the end product; it’s about the transformative journey of creation.
• Additionally, when you ask clients to place themselves in their drawings, you get lots of good information about where they might be stuck and why.
• Expressive painting encourages individuals to freely express their emotions through color, brushstrokes, and abstract forms.

Most people with substance use disorder are likely to suffer from mental health conditions. If you also have a dual diagnosis, you must follow a collaborative treatment https://ecosoberhouse.com/ plan that can simultaneously address both disorders. As participants create their beads, they’ll be reminded of the meaning of mindfulness and how they can help them refocus their mind and practice mindfulness—and even some meditation.

Approaching Gender Inclusivity in Your Practice

One of the most used art therapy techniques for working with substance abuse patients is a five-part project called The First Step Series. This activity was developed to guide participants towards recognizing the need for change, and to help them feel empowered about making those changes. Patients are asked to create five art pieces that relate to their experience with substance abuse. Through practices such as painting, drawing, writing, and music, the arts provide a safe and constructive way to channel one’s energy and express their thoughts and feelings. For example, let’s say you had a painful experience during your time using substances. This experience has held you down for years, and it was difficult to get through it and seek help.

• At its core, journaling is a space for reflection, documentation, and introspection.
• For this activity, you will need drawing pencils, ink pens, felt pens, colored pencils, pastels, chalks, crayons, acrylic and/or water paints, and brushes.
• It’s about the relationship between hands, material, and the emotions that come to life as they intertwine.
• Creating thank you cards is a great way to show appreciation and support positive feelings and an optimistic mind.
• Childhood memories art therapy ideas.Draw your childhood memory.

Activity #5: Expressive Writing And Poetry

• By focusing on creating intricate patterns and designs within a circular structure, participants can achieve a meditative state and find inner peace.
• For those embarking on their recovery journey, exploring art therapy can open doors to self-discovery and healing that they never knew existed.
• The act of painting can be a meditative experience, providing focus and quieting the noise of cravings or anxiety.
• Many people with SUD experience denial, and many who complete treatment are unsure regarding the work they need to do to maintain recovery.
• Unfortunately, numbing thoughts and feelings may seem to help for a while, but as we all know, trauma takes work to overcome.

Exercise forms an understanding of family values, strengthens blood ties. Guided drawing has been utilized with great success in recent years in recovery. It is essentially a bilateral style of drawing with rhythmical drawing with repetitive scribbles.

Exploring the Palette of Art Therapy Techniques

For adults in recovery, this form of therapy becomes even more poignant. It provides a non-judgmental platform, free from the confines of structured language or societal expectations. Here, they’re not just recovering individuals; they are artists, storytellers, and creators, weaving tales of their past, present, and hopeful future.

Start a Memory Box

Glue the phrases onto the cardboard to create a collage of positive, self-healing words. This project can also promote mindfulness and introspection. Art therapy is known to be an effective technique in improving mental and emotional well-being, especially for those in addiction recovery treatment.

Rhythm Exercises To Maintain Focus And Elleviate Stress

You can even search for words online and print them out. In closing, I encourage you to take what you’ve learned and embrace art’s transformative power. Art can be a companion in your most challenging times, offering you a means to voice your story when words fall short. They can help navigate emotions that surface during art-making and encourage beneficial reflection. First, assess your current treatment regimen and look for natural intersections where art could be a complementary addition.

Art Therapy Ideas for Substance Abuse Recovery and Behavioral Health

Examine aspects if who you are and how you see the world through these art projects. Join 550,000+ helping professionals who get free, science-based tools sent directly to their inbox. Plus, be the first to receive exclusive content & discounts.

Art Therapy Techniques

Containment activities provide a way for clients to protect, preserve, and honor those parts of themselves that feel vulnerable. An art therapy literature review published in Frontiers in Psychology (2018) looked at studies conducted between 2000 and 2017 to examine the efficacy of art therapy with adults. Group art therapy not only provides an opportunity for shared creativity but also fosters connection, understanding, and communal healing. Let’s delve into some of the most impactful group art therapy activities and understand their therapeutic value. Its tactile nature requires direct engagement, making it a powerful tool for mindfulness.

Tips For Starting Art Therapy Activities

For some reason, they couldn’t quite navigate the developmental milestone, and they got stuck. Sometimes when people experience trauma, their brains and bodies go into protective mode, locking down the painful memories and physically embedding sensory data for future reference. This is helpful on a survival level, but when clients get stuck in that mode, they can experience all kinds of issues and symptoms. Although more research is needed to further determine how effective art therapy is with adult populations, there are certain groups for which art therapy appears to be a promising option.