Many people are aware of how much physical therapy benefits people. But one thing that helped me tremendously was “Art Therapy.” I was offered Art Therapy along with physical therapy after being seriously injured. So what is “Art Therapy?” That’s what I asked when it was introduced to me. Art Therapy is done in conjunction with physical therapy to enhance mental and emotional well-being.
I was in a car accident and I worked very hard on physically healing. I learned to walk again and I treated physical therapy as if it were a subject in school. I worked extremely hard. But I was also angry. I was in a head-on collision that was not my fault. I was severely injured. I was angry. Why did this happen to me? Why was someone driving like this?
Art therapy for me was an expression of my feelings, my anger. I painted, I made sculptures and drawings. It was relaxing and it helped me to recover in the rehabilitation hospital. I worked with trained therapists and we discussed my feelings and how I could manifest my feelings through artwork. I will always remember how it helped me to unleash my sadness, grief, anger, and depression. I was able to be free, to express myself, and talk to my therapist each week. And it really helped me with my physical therapy. Not all hospitals have Art Therapy but I would recommend asking about it.