The following is an essay I wrote for a writing class in 2012 while living in Hawaii:
(This painting was made in Canon City more recently.)
The recent rains left the fields saturated in shades of green, the mountain golden and the sea a dazzling turquoise. It was a beautiful day to be up on this cliff overlooking it all. The older students poured their paint on the canvas with a brush, capturing not only the sights but the smells of the grasses and the mists of the sea. The younger ones just stood in rapt wonder at the view afraid to touch the paint to the gesso covered cloth lest the canvas might vanish before their eyes. Bridget witnessed first-hand the effects of both art and music as tangible life enhancing activities which have extended far beyond entertainment. These painting adventures which have become the emotional mainstay for her and many others were just one small example. Certain forms of music and art, Bridget has grown to believe, are valuable beyond entertainment and are essential components of the human experience. They both heal and maintain health in mind, body, and spirit of the individual and provide the grist for positive, healthy, progressive communities.
Art, music and the hemispheres of the brain have interesting known correlations. Left side and right sides of the brain interpret music and art perception differently, and Bridget believes the balancing of the two can maintain or restore health. For example, in music perception, “the left brain appears to process such basic elements as intervals (the spaces between individual tones) and rhythms (the duration of a series, of notes). The right brain, in comparison, recognizes holistic traits such as meter (beat) and melodic contour (the pattern of rising and falling in a piece)” (Altenmuller). These differerences in perceptions occur in the visual arts such as these painting sessions as well. Perhaps the integration of these parts of the brain through the act of creation, accounts for why many of those who attend the art adventures with her have shown acceleration in other dimensions of their lives. Michael, working on the painting of a wave, dropped out of high school because he was getting bullied. He has been painting with Bridget for several years and has since rejoined high school and now is excelling. Margaret who focused her painting on some flowers in the foreground and a meadow with a tree in the distance, has three kids and is going through a divorce. She often says these sessions “keep her sane.” It doesn’t seem as important why this activity helps them as much as that it clearly does.
Eddie, who attended her group for awhile before he moved away from the island, was a savant. He had a head injury which made him speak with a slur and drag his foot when he walked. When Bridget talked to him, he would delay responding, or sometimes not understand what was said, as he would have before the accident. However, he surprised the entire community when he began painting elaborate paintings with skill he did not possess before. When injury damages the left side of the brain of one who becomes a savant, genius has developed in the area of art or music utilizing the undamaged right brain.
There are other, more well known savants. “Leslie Lemke is a blind savant who played Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no. 1 after he heard it the first time. Like most musical savants, he never had a piano lesson” (Powell). Another example is Stephen Wiltshire who is an artistic savant who “drew a highly accurate map of the London skyline from memory after a single helicopter trip” (Powell). Eddie’s relatives, seeing him differently than as a retarded person, invited him and gave him assistance and now, with their help, his paintings are widely known and sought. Although he needs a lot of assistance, he is now known for his talent in his community, not his slowness in communication. Savants demonstrate the unknown, complexity and great potential of the human beyond traditional studies, and social norms. If this can happen to a small segment of the population, then it demonstrates the latent seeds of potential in all people of what the less used right side of the brain, and balanced integration is capable.
Bridget wondered if, in addition to enhanced creativity, if art and music could help people recover from illness. “[Healing] extends beyond blood chemistry or the eradication of tumors; healing involves becoming whole both physically and psychologically” (Malchiodi). This question became very personal four years earlier when she received a call from her father that her mother wasn’t expected to live. The crisis was sudden. Her mother was healthy and three days later she was prone in a hospital bed. The doctors induced the coma when her vitals headed off the charts after what should have been minor outpatient surgery to her intestine. After days of not being able to stabilize her, the doctors concluded she was near the end. In the ICU, Bridget had heard beeps, whirrs, chimes of the medical equipment along with a radio playing half static, half music of a type her mother rarely listened. Bridget suggested to her dad that he get the CD player and put ear phones on with her mother’s favorite music: Yanni during the Acropolis concert. Even Bridget was surprised how quickly her father leaped to his feet on his way to get the CD player. The music played for her continuously. Days passed, and her mother began to stabilize, and she ultimately recovered.
Surely there were many factors, not just the music that led to her mother’s recovery, yet she couldn’t help but wonder what effect music could have on a human’s welfare above and beyond simple entertainment. Bridget had discovered the same music originally when she herself had a chronic condition with frequent crippling headaches. She didn’t know the source. The thought intensive computer job didn’t help, but she suspected the headaches might be related to a head injury she had sustained in high school when she impacted the road on the left side of her head from a galloping horse. Although she didn’t listen to the music by Yanni specifically to help her headaches, she just liked the music, the unexpected management of the headaches was noticeable. She credits frequently listening as a factor for managing the pain and helping her through that chapter of her life.
Studies show other evidence that music specifically contributes to healing. “Oliver Sacks, a well-known author and neurologist, noted that patients with nervous system disorders who cannot talk or move are often able to sing, and even dance, to music, suggesting that music has a unique capacity to organize and reorganize brain function that has been damaged” (Sorrell). In addition, another study was done with people who incurred damage to the left hemisphere of their brain due to stroke or accident. In the study, melodic intonations (music) were used to see the effect. “Positive results have been reported with melodic intonation therapy (MIT) in nonfluent aphasia patients with damage to their left-brain speech processes, using the patient’s intact ability to sing to promote functional language” (Ziegler). There was a positive correlation between the left brain damaged people singing, and improvements in speech which was damaged by the injuries.
Bridget also knew of a study with music and cancer patients. “Music therapy and verbal relaxation had reported the anxiety reduction effect on patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy” (Hsu). Music can reduce anxiety and therefore may preempt the need for anxiety controlling medication a person might have otherwise been given need while going through stress inducing procedures. “Music can provide the important benefits of both mental and physicalstimulation to even frail older adults” (Sorrell). A program which capitalizes on how music relates to maintained physical wellness demonstrates this is “Conductorcise” where elderly participants “wave batons as they sweat to Beethoven and Mozart ‘oldies’” (Sorrell). This resulted in the same benefits as providing needed exercise, and was credited for creating greater heart health.
Bridget gasped as she walked up to Vivian’s canvas who had positioned herself to do a large breathtaking panoramic view of the entire seascape. The detail was stunning. Vivian gazed at her and smiled with yellow paint on her cheek revealing the rapt intensity of her painting concentration. Tears came to Bridget’s eyes. Vivian was the group’s cancer survivor. The doctor gave her six months to live… three years ago. The cancer is in complete remission and her life is for now, fully restored.
Many documented healing examples exist with visual art therapy also. For example, Bridget heard of children in an orphanage in Russia were exposed to therapeutic art approaches, they were able to work through past experiences using art which were causing trauma in their current life. They called this “achieving termination” and were able to reengage with social situations and life in a healthy way. “The formative potential of termination is in the opportunity to actively negotiate these tasks with a caring person and to internalize the experience of a manageable and therefore nondisruptive closure [of past traumas]” (Meshcheryakova). Bridget couldn’t imagine life without art and imagined many of the orphans in Russia and artists in her own fellowship felt the same.
As Bridget walked around on the grassy field, gazing at each of the canvases on their pine easels, she admired their spirits manifesting themselves in the form of paint on the canvas. She didn’t call these painters students but friends. The fellowship of people of varied backgrounds, ages, and vocations gathered to do art for art’s and health’s sake. After all of these years, are they healthier for it? She believed so.
Works Cited
Albert, Rachel. “Being Both: An Integrated Model Of Art Therapy And Alternative Art Education.” Art Therapy: Journal Of The American Art Therapy Association 27.2 (2010): 90-95. ERIC. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
This viewpoint proposes a model of art therapy integrated into an alternative art education program. A blended model of art therapy and art education that utilizes effective strategies from both disciplines and provides students with a therapeutic process can support instruction, empower students, and produce art products the students can be proud to have created.
Altenmüller, Eckart O., and A. E. O. “Music IN YOUR HEAD.” Scientific American Special Edition 14.1 (2004): 24-31. Health Source – Consumer Edition. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.
For a long time, it was common to believe in a distinct division between the left brain’s processing of language (the side that also handles reasoning tasks) and the right brain’s processing of music (the half that contains emotional and spatial information). The left brain appears to process such basic elements as intervals (the spaces between individual tones) and rhythms (the duration of a series, of notes). The right brain, in comparison, recognizes holistic traits such as meter (beat) and melodic contour (the pattern of rising and falling in a piece). If the left side is damaged, patients generally become incapable of perceiving rhythms. If, however, the right side is injured, the patient no longer recognizes contours, melodies, meter or rhythm.
Geske, Joel. Teaching Creativity For Right Brain And Left Brain Thinkers. n.p.: 1992. ERIC. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
This focuses on teaching and developmental techniques for people given the differences between left brain dominant and right brain dominant thinkers. The goal is awareness of the influence of the two sides and increased creativity, and problem solving.
Hsu, Mei-Chi, et al. “A Randomised Controlled Trial Of The Effect Of Music Therapy And Verbal Relaxation On Chemotherapy-Induced Anxiety.” Journal Of Clinical Nursing 20.7/8 (2011): 988-999. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
This is a report of a study to determine the effect of music therapy and verbal relaxation on state anxiety and anxiety-induced physiological manifestations among patients with cancer before and after chemotherapy.
Logid, Janet. “The Healing Power Of Art: Is It Just For Patients?.” Creative Nursing 17.3 (2011): 118-119. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
The article discusses the use of music to cope with stress and grief which is a way for a caring professional to also learn the caring for oneself. Music and other art forms are mechanisms to handle life’s challenges and create an atmosphere of healing. Various U.S. hospitals and clinics create an atmosphere of healing through the paintings in the hallways donated by philanthropists, pianists or harpists providing music in the lobby, and bronze sculptures adorning the public common spaces.
Malchiodi, Cathy A. Medical Art Therapy: Defining A Field. n.p.: 1993. ERIC. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
Although art therapy has traditionally focused on the use of art expression in psychotherapy, the practice of medical arttherapy has begun to grow rapidly. This paper provides a brief overview of the emerging specialty of medical art therapy and its importance as a counseling tool with people suffering from serious health problems. The paper examines the theory, practice, application, current research, and directions for this field’s future, along with an emphasis on the contributions of medical art therapy as part of the health care of patients with serious and life-threatening physical illness. Healing according to the paper, extends beyond blood chemistry or the eradication of tumors; healing involves becoming whole both physically and psychologically.
Meshcheryakova, Ksenia. “Art Therapy With Orphaned Children: Dynamics Of Early Relational Trauma And Repetition Compulsion.” Art Therapy: Journal Of The American Art Therapy Association 29.2 (2012): 50-59. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
This article explores the dynamics of orphaned children’s engagement with art therapy in a group of preadolescent children living in a Russian orphanage. The phenomenon of repetition compulsion (i.e., origins in past traumatic experiences, destructive consequences, and protective psychic function) is discussed with respect to the children’s artwork and its impact on engagement, countertransference, and termination. The therapeutic relationship and the art-making process are two vehicles that help restore a child’s capacity to feel and to engage in new relationships without the interference of repetitive defenses of traumatic origins.
Powell, Diane. “We Are All Savants.” Shift: At The Frontiers Of Consciousness 9 (2005): 14-17. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
Focuses on the research on scientifically accepted phenomena such as the savant syndrome. Suggestion that savantsdemonstrate remarkable abilities that are not understood by conventional theories about consciousness and the functioning of the brain; Prevalence of the savant syndrome in autism than in other forms of mental retardation or mental illness; Implications of the research findings on autism and savants.
Sorrell, JA, and JM Sorrell. “Music As A Healing Art For Older Adults.” Journal Of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services 46.3 (2008): 21-24. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 13 Dec. 2012.
There is increasing evidence of the importance of regular mental and physical exercise to maximize overall health and functioning in older adults. However, many individuals find that reduced strength or disabilities prevent them from participating in the kinds of exercise they enjoyed when they were younger. Music can provide the important benefits of both mental and physical stimulation to even frail older adults. Whether using Conductorcise for aerobic exercise, enjoying the communal experience of singing in a choir, or quietly reflecting on a music recording, music can serve as a healing art for older adults.
Ziegler, Wolfram, et al. “The Effects Of Modified Melodic Intonation Therapy On Nonfluent Aphasia: A Pilot Study.” Journal Of Speech, Language & Hearing Research 55.5 (2012): 1463-1471. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.
This study analyses the effect of melodic intonation (music) on those who had damage due to stroke or accident to the left side of their brain. Positive results have been reported with melodic intonation therapy (MIT) in nonfluent aphasia patients with damage to their left-brain speech processes, using the patient’s intact ability to sing to promote functional language.