Tuesday, 8 May 2018

The Effects Of Water Color Painting Therapy On Patience With Alzheimer By Jo Ann Danchik

By Dorothy Hughes


We are certainly living in times of hardships and certain struggles. The world has become a rather difficult place to live in and sometimes one needs a bit of an emotional security blanket and a place for their thoughts and emotions to feel safe. One such way of obtaining emotional comfort is through art, specifically the art of water color painting therapy, as Jo Ann Danchik suggests. Since many a moon ago, human beings have manifested their need to be heard and to express their feelings and emotions, and this has often been done through the use of various forms of art.

This art form of therapy is especially used in children and adults who have encountered some kind of traumatic event or life-altering moment. Painting and drawing are used to help the individual to express suppressed emotions and feelings related to the event without necessarily having to verbalize the details. This is a fantastic way of creating a safe place for the person to share their trauma.

The addition of water colours is a form of psychological programming. Colours are a brain stimulus that is taken in through sight. Using colour helps the individual to associate feelings to specific colours and as such attach them to certain aspects of their memory. Often when a traumatic event or situation occurs it is the brain s default to protect itself from the feeling linked to that particular event. This is when you will find cases of temporary dementia after a traumatic incident, where people report not being able to recall specific details or occurrences within their story. This is because the brain has decided to supress those emotions and thoughts in an attempt to protect the person from the pain and fear they experienced.

This is quite often found in children who have seen a traumatic action or have been through a traumatic action. In fact, in kids it can go a step further, with some kids completely shutting down after such trauma. In some cases, children may stop talking all together.

When these colors are used during therapy on people with Alzheimer it signals muscle memories within the brain and enters the brain s memory centre where patients can then link colors to specific memories, feelings and thoughts. When the colors are a lot lighter as is the case with watercolors they create a layer of serenity as the colors aren t as intrusive to the patient s mind.

Now, back to the use of water painting as an expression of emotion. The ancient art of painting dates back centuries ago, with the Mayans and their ancient paintings and the Egyptians and their hieroglyphics paintings as an expression have been going on forever. The uses of color paint are specifically therapeutic in that is uses color as a method of expression.

Colors emit emotions, they stir up certain memories, thoughts, and feelings by the mere sight of looking at them. This is called association and using a colour in one s artwork helps you to emote. Paintings tend to be a security blanket of emotions where you can simply tell how the artist was feeling on the sole basis of the colours they chose to use.

Feeling trapped after a trauma is quite a common occurrence in trauma victims. These feelings stem from a place of fear, and of refusing to feel emotions and be vulnerable. Art as a therapy form is a wonderful way to reopen communication channels.




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