Therapeutic Recreation and the Arts in Medicine
Therapeutic Recreation is the use of creativity to enhance health and wellness. Large trends show a shift to holism and the empowerment of people. This affects the type of activities that are chosen. Studies on healing and creative arts have been motivated by major scientific advances in neuroscience and the co-occurring exponential growth of mind-body medicine and interest in physics including the science of energy.
Sculpture and poetry have been proven to offer health-giving properties, as well as renewed interest in the pursuit of music, dance, painting or drawing, Qigong, and even sensory gardens, walking even daydreaming bring recreational benefits.
The arts promote the empowering effects of freedom, self-esteem, pleasure, communication, growth, love, and connectedness to our Qi (universal life force). They are life affirming and life enhancing. Creative therapies involve movement which can be found to be reaffirming of life force (Qi) because moving our body is crucial to the living state. Movement can be said to release excess Qi and allows the discharge of suppressed emotions and trapped energy. How many have felt the need to go for a walk after a perceived stressful situation? Movement impulse may be expressed in smaller physical ways as well by writing, drawing, drama or poetry as examples. Many studies have shown the antidepressant effect of movement whether done passively or actively it can create the relaxation response. At times, music or other stress relieving techniques will promote laughter or tears to create emotional relief.
There are many recreational outlets that we have available to us. There are times we can get stuck in a rut and forget about the wonderful often simple opportunities we have. Fortunately, there is an increasing awareness in our modern world that pleasure is a good thing. On an intuitive basis, the ability of creative therapies to induce pleasure is well known. It is especially important to allow our self-more pleasure when life is chaotic. An example that demonstrates these benefits is building a cairn, which is essentially the art of balancing rocks on top of each other. This activity, through the deep level of concentration that is needed, this brings a peaceful state.
In doing creative activities you are tapping into the body's own energy that is uniquely individual to each of us. Many time-tested traditions have in common, to a greater or less extent, aspects of mind-body medicine. Qigong and Tai Chi which are known as meditation in movement are also very much energy therapies, Qigong and Tai Chi are thought to help repattern a person’s energy field and accelerate healing of the body, mind and spirit. We all have bioenergy; physical movement enhances and strengthens it.
Ecstatic dance expression is a newer take on traditional dance expression. According to wikipedia.org “Ecstatic is a form of dance in which the dancers, sometimes without the need to follow specific steps, abandon themselves to the rhythm and move freely as the music takes them, leading to dance or feelings of ecstasy...Dancers are described as connected to others or their own emotions”. Ecstatic dance can result in physical or emotional catharsis which lowers stress and anxiety levels.
A sensory garden is one that is designed to stimulate the senses. Sensory gardens or traditional gardening help to put us in a Zen state where we feel we are part of the flow of nature. You can plant a garden with edible herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and lemongrass to stimulate and relax the senses and you can explore taste by planting edible herbs, even edible flowers like nasturtiums, pansies and hibiscus. Gardening is a good choice for physical exercise and creating a state of oneness with nature, which in turn can heighten our creativity.
Certain movies like The Notebook, A Brief History of Time (Life of Stephen Hawking) and Forrest Gump provide understanding that life is full of lessons that we all experience. And that healing is done through a process and cannot be rushed. Trust the process.
Mandala Art is another meditative recreational activity originating in the East. Mandala means circles. Ancient Hindu scripture depict mandalas as a period of creativity, and a symbol of deeper connection with the self and universe at large. Most simply you may start with a circle, when creating your own Mandala, the key is to take it slowly, drawing one shape at a time and going around the whole circle drawing that shape in the right place. Then you build on the shape by drawing repetitive shapes around your original shape symbols. It is quite easy to find drawing books on mandalas if you are not ready to create your own. Color Zen by Valentina Harper, www.d-originals.com which explains color concepts and ideas along with many mandala choices.
Thich Nhat Han, a Buddhist monk and peace activist from Vietnam, said; “Walk slowly. Don’t rush. Each step brings you to the best moment of your life.” When walking in natural spaces, we may choose to be thinking of all the things we need to do after our walk. The mind-body approach to recreation teaches us to be conscious of each step and hear the crunch of the earth under our feet. To see the true beauty of yourself as part of the universe: the air, water, sun and rain. Stop and just listen.
Daydreaming may be used as a mini recreational activity. Daydreaming seems to have gotten a bad name. There are scientific studies proving cognitive and psychological benefits of daydreaming. Studies suggests wandering minds correlates with higher degrees of what is referred to as working memory. Findings suggest that the occasional daydream, especially the ones that allow you to focus and unfocus, can be one of the best ways to become better at what you are, doing. The associated feelings of being refreshed and ready to tackle your next task can become just the antidote you need to lower stress and boost your feelings of everyday fulfillment. The mini break which the daydream gives support from fatigue and strain during the day, because it allows a person to conceptually and affectively to disengage from work demands. You don’t have to wait until the weekend or vacation to get the emotional benefits of time off; to get the mental health benefits of a break, take a minute to look out the window at the wonders of the clouds. Using your daydreams to enhance wellbeing can be an exceptionally mindfulness experience.
There are many recreational activities that assist us in becoming part of the whole and the benefits can go way beyond the mind-body concept to encompass the physical benefits such as lowering blood pressure and cortisone, protecting against falls by improving balance, increasing blood flow, lowering sensation of pain, strengthening bones and muscles, improving mental health, the emotional state, and our quality of life.
