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Art therapy is a potent blend of art and psychology, allowing individuals to explore and express their emotions creatively, through the guidance of the art therapist. This therapeutic approach delves into introspection and personal discovery, aiding in confronting traumas and fostering growth. Suitable for all ages, art therapy is a transformative tool for self-expression and emotional well-being, regardless of artistic ability. Dive into a journey of understanding and healing. Book a full session with us.

Art for Good Art Studio is an art-making space located at Siglap Centre #02-24, that promotes good mental health and well-being. Our art studio is open to our friends and partners for bookings and is subject to availability. Our space can fit up to 16 persons and we operate from 10AM-10PM. Book our art studio on a weekday!

Art for Good Art Studio is an art-making space located at Siglap Centre #02-24, that promotes good mental health and well-being. Our art studio is open to our friends and partners for bookings and is subject to availability. Our space can fit up to 16 persons and we operate from 10AM-10PM. Book our art studio over the weekend!

Featured Artists The artworks and products of these artists are featured in our shop in order to empower vulnerable individuals with special needs. Click on their personal icons to check out the products by each of them! Artists with Disabilities Beads by YTJ Beads By YTJ is a handcrafted paper jewelry and crafts brand created by a mother-daughter duo, Jane and Yue Ting. Yue Ting, who has autism, finds joy and purpose in quilling, an art form involving the rolling and shaping of paper strips into intricate designs. Their jewelry is beautifully crafted, lightweight, comfortable, and coated with a water-resistant layer. Chloe Chek Age: 11 Disability: Rare Disorder (SMA2) Chloe has Spinal muscular atrophy type 2 (SMA2), a genetic neuromuscular disorder affecting nerve cells that control voluntary muscles (motor neurons). She is wheelchair bound and has weak fine motor skills. She is aware she is different from other children, often feeling left out during physical education and sports activities. However, she maintains a positive outlook to life and has a love for art. She hopes that she is able to create art that people would love and that they will buy her artwork! Cindy Phua Cindy Phua, a self-taught artist with a natural talent for drawing and painting, worked as a nail artist for over 10 years. She turned to art as therapy during a period of mental health struggles and severe anxiety. This process reignited her passion for art and her keen eye for detail. Cindy's hyper-realistic, dream-like paintings express hope, peace, and happiness, which she wishes to share with others. She aspires to be an artist and advocate for mental health through her experiences. Jayden Lau Jayden, diagnosed with ADHD, faces challenges with self-control, attention, and sitting still, but his love for painting and mixing colors shines through. During Art Therapy sessions, he creates beautiful art pieces, sometimes co-creating with his younger brother Javier and sister Janelle, who has a rare disorder. Jayden also enjoys cooking and baking in his free time. Koh Jun Kai Age: 22 Disability: Autism Jun Kai is diagnosed with autism and has a unique perspective that shines through his passions and talents. Drawing and painting provide him with a sense of calm and serve as a tool for emotional regulation. Recently, he has embraced digital art, enjoying the process of drawing people and showcasing his keen eye for detail. His artistic talent has led to several commissioned works, highlighting his dedication and ability to connect with others through his creations. In addition to art, Jun Kai has a deep fascination with Lego constructions, particularly the mechanics of Lego Technic gears. Jonas Teo Age: 14 Disability: Autism Jonas is one of three children in his family, each diagnosed with unique special conditions. While Jonas has Autism Spectrum Disorder, his two brothers live with an immunodeficiency disorder that requires lifelong treatment. Despite these challenges, Jonas shines as a young aspiring artist with remarkable talent and creativity. Jonas’s artwork reflects his vibrant personality and interests, often featuring rainbows, Mario, and pirates. Through art, he finds joy, expression, and a sense of accomplishment. His creativity not only showcases his talent but also serves as a source of inspiration for those around him. Jonas enjoy playing swtich games like Mario and Zelda. He also trains regularly for long distance at track and have started running for cross country events to build up his endurance and running speed. Titus Teo Age: 11 Disability: Rare Disorder (Immunity Deficiency) Titus is the youngest of three siblings, all with unique special needs. He and his brother have an immunodeficiency disorder requiring lifelong treatment, including monthly 10-hour intravenous immunoglobulin therapy to prevent lung infections. Music and art help Titus regulate his emotions. Since age nine, he has pursued his passion for music by learning the flute, piano, and guzheng (his school CCA).Titus enjoys building Lego and swimming, and his favorite color is turquoise, while his favorite character is Kirby. Lucas Teo Age: 15 Disability: Rare Disorder (Immunity Deficiency) Lucas has an immunodeficiency disorder requiring lifelong monthly 10-hour intravenous immunoglobulin therapy at the hospital to prevent bacterial infections, such as influenza. He also has dyslexia and faced learning challenges throughout his academic years, which necessitated school and therapy support. Lucas is incredibly talented in art and has a deep love for animals, particularly reptiles like tortoises and snakes. He enjoys building Lego models and figurines and finds sketching helpful for self-regulating his emotions. Additionally, Lucas engages in gym workouts and track training to channel his energy and build endurance. Leslie Lim Age: 22 Disability: Autism Leslie experienced speech delay until the age of five, found a way to express himself through art. Learning about art became a turning point for him, as it was a meaningful avenue for communication and self-expression. His artwork often features elements of nature, including animals, people, trees, and leaves, reflecting his deep appreciation for the world around him. Beyond art, Leslie is passionate about music and enjoys singing, as well as playing the guitar, keyboard, and cello. Art continues to play a significant role in his life. Through his creativity, Leslie finds both peace and connection. Our Team Learning Journey Our Clients & Partners To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. 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Meet Our Team Management Team Art Therapists / Mental Health Professionals Team Artist/ Art Teaching Team Management Team Managing Director / Founder Amanda Chen Amanda is a certified and experienced Art Therapist (MA-AT 2015 Masters in Art Therapy) and Arts Educator (Registered with MOE-AMIS). She has been active and current in the social work scene for the past decade and has worked with many charities and social enterprises like Red Pencil, Student Advisory Centre (Children’s Wishing Well), Center Pottery, Habitat for Humanity Singapore and was the Former Deputy Director of Social Creatives. She currently sits on the board as Honorary Secretary of the Rare Disorders Society of Singapore. She believes in the healing and therapeutic aspects of art and its many applications. Prior, Amanda had been in the advertising industry for several years before starting her own branding and design agency that was running for more than 12 years. As the healing arts and the work of a therapist resonated so deeply with her, she decided to pursue her Masters in Art Therapy to become an Art Therapist. Amanda is the founder for Art for Good and believes that a lot of good can be done through art using the platform of a social enterprise. Support Executive Alanis Seah Alanis is an alumni of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts with a Diploma in Fine Arts, is known for her unwavering commitment to addressing critical societal issues. She uses her boundless creativity to create art that empowers, provokes introspection, and sparks meaningful dialogues on topics such as gender disparities, racial inequalities, mental health awareness, and neurodiversity. Alanis challenges conventional artistic themes in her pursuit of catalyzing positive change through her contributions to the arts. Currently, Alanis is working part-time alongside Amanda and Gabriel at Art for Good. Their mission is to leverage the power of art to foster positive change within diverse communities. Together, they demonstrate how art can be a potent force for good in our world, channelling Alanis's expertise in art to provide professional art services and innovative creative products. Business Development Manager Gabriel Lee Gabriel’s passions have led him to become the General Manager of Art for Good. Transcending his love for photography, Gabriel is a CAAS certified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Pilot, specialising in aerial photography and cinematography. Over the past decade, he has worked with various profit and non-profit organisations such as GuruRealiti, the Catholic Church, the People’s Association, and online car magazine Revv-Motoring Singapore. Gabriel finds passion and fulfilment in social work, with numerous years of experience in disaster response and humanitarian aid with Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS). He has led and organised mission teams to provide relief in countries such as Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. During which, he has also worked with children with disabilities, people with financial difficulties and refugees of war and natural disasters. At Art for Good, Gabriel gets to combine his two passions, by doing good through art. Wendilyn Project Executive Wendilyn is a digital artist driven by a passion to make the world a more vibrant and colorful place. Inspired by the limitless possibilities of digital illustration, she loves that it allows her to learn from mistakes and continually improve. Wendilyn's artistic style is characterized by bright, bold colors and a whimsical children's storybook aesthetic. As a creative, Wendilyn finds inspiration in the work of fellow artists and the community. She believes that art is a journey, not a destination, and that there's no such thing as perfection – only beauty in the eye of the beholder. Wendilyn's artistic philosophy is centered around spreading joy and happiness through her work. Through her daily creative practice, Wendilyn continually refines her craft, experimenting with new techniques and styles. Her unique approach balances texture and color, resulting in captivating digital illustrations that transport viewers to enchanting worlds. With a heart full of creativity and a passion for making a positive impact, Wendilyn's art is sure to delight and inspire audiences of all ages. Art Therapists / Mental Health Professionals Senior Art Therapist / Supervisor Amanda Chen Amanda is a certified and experienced Art Therapist (MA-AT 2015 Masters in Art Therapy) and Arts Educator (Registered with MOE-AMIS), where her passion is in working with children, especially those with special needs and disabilities. She has been active and current in the social work scene for the past decade and has worked with many charities and social enterprises, and currently sits on the board as Honorary Secretary of the Rare Disorders Society of Singapore. As the healing arts and the work of a therapist resonated so deeply with her, she decided to pursue her Masters in Art Therapy to become an Art Therapist. Amanda is the founder and key art therapist at Art for Good and believes that a lot of good can be done through art using the platform of a social enterprise. She believes in the healing therapeutic aspects of art and its many applications. Daphna Arbell Kehila Daphna Arbell Kehila has over 20 years’ experience as Expressive Arts Therapist. Daphna holds a PhD in Adult Education and a Master of Arts (MA) in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University in Cambridge Massachusetts. She also holds a master’s degree in Space Design from Musashino Art University in Tokyo, and a Master degree in Theatre Arts from Tel-Aviv University. Daphna incorporates her experience as a qualified Yoga Therapy practitioner with creative work, to cultivate inner strength, support mental health and wellbeing; she dedicates her time to create, develop and conduct programs and workshops for various populations, supporting the process of personal development and growth of individuals and communities. Living and working in Asia Pacific region for more than three decades, and as a permanent resident (PR) in Singapore since 2004, Daphna has a deep understanding of multicultural experiences. She is owner and director at West East Pte. Ltd, where she practices Expressive Arts Therapy and Yoga Therapy. Senior Art Therapist / Supervisor Senior Art Therapist Wendy Yap Wendy is a certified Art Therapist (2010) and Career Coach (NCDA, 2018). She is an associate faculty at Singapore University of Social Sciences and adjunct lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic. Wendy enjoys working with people from all walks of life. To her, everyone has a story to tell and listening empathetically is the key to help people to open up. Through this approach, her clients have found a safe outlet to work through their personal challenges. Apart from art and verbal therapy, Wendy is exploring to use of sports, pets and gardening to enhance the mental well-being of clients and the community at-large. She believes that being in touch with nature, animals and physical activities relax the mind and release happy hormones. Art Therapist Kit Louis Kit, an accredited art psychotherapist with 11+ years of experience, provides a nurturing sanctuary for clients to rediscover their inner selves through art. Collaborating gently, she guides individuals in using art as a transformative tool to navigate life's challenges. Specializing in diverse art therapy approaches, Kit warmly welcomes individuals of all genders, orientations, and ages. Her interventions, backed by a Master of Arts in Art Therapy from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, adapt to individual needs. Previously assisting those with trauma and mental health challenges, Kit integrates art therapy into workshops and group sessions. Her practice also includes holistic healing techniques like reiki and Aroma Freedom Technique (AFT). Art Therapist Xavier Woon As a Family Counsellor and Coach, Xavier is passionate about helping individuals and families overcome challenges and achieve their potential. His supportive and empowering approach ensures clients feel understood and valued. For over 15 years, Xavier has conducted workshops on mental well-being for schools, institutions, and organisations. As an adjunct lecturer, he has taught counselling skills, conflict management, and crisis intervention, engaging students eager to enhance their soft skills. With expertise in one-on-one and group settings, Xavier tailors counselling and coaching sessions to individual needs and provides training on family-related issues like communication and conflict resolution. As a father of four, he promotes healthy relationships through practical strategies, helping clients improve family dynamics and resolve conflicts with care. Art Therapist Colette Alexandratos Colette is a dedicated Art Therapist specializing in supporting children, adolescents, and adults through creative expression and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Fluent in English and Greek, she holds a Master’s in Art Therapy from Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore, and is a registered member of ANZACATA, ATAS, and the HCPC in the UK. With a trauma-informed and person-centered approach, Colette uses art as a means of communication and self-discovery to empower individuals, fostering insight and healing. Her experience includes working with diverse international clients, addressing challenges such as anxiety, depression, school avoidance, eating disorders, and conditions like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Art Therapist Christopher Loong Christopher Tan Meng Loong is a skilled mental health professional and registered art therapist with extensive experience supporting individuals across diverse age groups. Specializing in trauma-informed care, he uses creative therapies to address complex trauma, emotional challenges, and mental health issues, including domestic violence, sexual abuse, and emotional dysregulation. With over a decade of experience, Christopher has facilitated impactful one-on-one and group therapy sessions, empowering individuals through art to foster healing, resilience, and self-expression. Holding advanced degrees in art therapy and psychology, he is a dedicated member of professional organizations committed to promoting mental well-being with empathy and professionalism. Art Therapist Karen KOH centres her practice with the arts as an essential for holistic personal development and meaning-making of life experiences. She have 9 years of experience as an art therapist and 8 years working with seniors. Rooted in disciplines of psychology, art therapy and spirituality, she has been active in healthcare and social service settings engaging with different communities like older adults and caregivers. Karen has been growing her practice as an art therapist-artist in community-based settings. Having implemented fruitful programmes through collaborations in the expanding arts & health context, Karen has also contributed in the creation of arts toolkits to equip community care professionals and volunteers with creative care skills. She believes accessibility to the arts should be an everyday practice for people from all walks of life. She is a registered art therapist with Art Therapists’ Association of Singapore (ATAS) and The Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA). Karen Koh Artist/ Art Teaching Team Art Teacher Gabriel Lee Gabriel’s passions have led him to become the General Manager of Art for Good. Transcending his love for photography, Gabriel is a CAAS certified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Pilot, specialising in aerial photography and cinematography. Over the past decade, he has worked with various profit and non-profit organisations such as GuruRealiti, the Catholic Church, the People’s Association, and online car magazine Revv-Motoring Singapore. Gabriel finds passion and fulfilment in social work, with numerous years of experience in disaster response and humanitarian aid with Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS). He has led and organised mission teams to provide relief in countries such as Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. During which, he has also worked with children with disabilities, people with financial difficulties and refugees of war and natural disasters. At Art for Good, Gabriel gets to combine his two passions, by doing good through art. Peter Loh Peter was Amanda’s first art teacher, when she was 4 years old. Peter is a self-taught artist, cartoonist and graphic designer who has been doing freelance work and working in design houses for more than one and a half decades, creating a plethora of traditional and digital illustrations, logos and other graphic designs for hundreds of clients, from individuals to MNCs. He has self-published a number of illustrated story books and also put his artistic skills to use in a string of educational books for various authors, both locally and in the US. On top of that, Peter has also conducted art lessons in schools and company offices, as well as in charities and non-profit organizations, like the Down Syndrome Association of Singapore. Creative Consultant / Artist / Art Teacher Artist / Art Teacher Wendilyn Wendilyn is a digital artist driven by a passion to make the world a more vibrant and colorful place. Inspired by the limitless possibilities of digital illustration, she loves that it allows her to learn from mistakes and continually improve. Wendilyn's artistic style is characterized by bright, bold colors and a whimsical children's storybook aesthetic. As a creative, Wendilyn finds inspiration in the work of fellow artists and the community. She believes that art is a journey, not a destination, and that there's no such thing as perfection – only beauty in the eye of the beholder. Wendilyn's artistic philosophy is centered around spreading joy and happiness through her work. Through her daily creative practice, Wendilyn continually refines her craft, experimenting with new techniques and styles. Her unique approach balances texture and color, resulting in captivating digital illustrations that transport viewers to enchanting worlds. With a heart full of creativity and a passion for making a positive impact, Wendilyn's art is sure to delight and inspire audiences of all ages. Artist / Art Teacher Alanis Lucille Seah Alanis is an alumni of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts with a Diploma in Fine Arts, is known for her unwavering commitment to addressing critical societal issues. She uses her boundless creativity to create art that empowers, provokes introspection, and sparks meaningful dialogues on topics such as gender disparities, racial inequalities, mental health awareness, and neurodiversity. Alanis challenges conventional artistic themes in her pursuit of catalyzing positive change through her contributions to the arts. Currently, Alanis is working part-time alongside Amanda and Gabriel at Art for Good. Their mission is to leverage the power of art to foster positive change within diverse communities. Together, they demonstrate how art can be a potent force for good in our world, channeling Alanis' expertise in art to provide professional art services and innovative creative products. Nagomi Artist / Teacher Goh Keat Long Goh Keat Leong grew up in a humble fishing village with an exceptional interest in drawing. As art lessons were considered an extravagance, he taught himself sketching and illustration. In 2017, he chanced upon Pastel Nagomi Art. This simple form of art rekindled his long-lost desire in art creation, and he started his journey as a Pastel Nagomi Art instructor. Keat Leong believes that art is not just about drawing skills and creativity. Art can be a simple form of therapy that brings balance to people’s emotional harmony, and it should always be a part of our lives. In 2019, he founded Zundeng Art based on his alias name, Zundeng. Zundeng Art is known for the willingness to share valuable and quality content openly and the stencils that he designed and created are widely used in many countries! Want to be part of our team? Join Us! Community Featured Artists Our Clients & Partners To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Accreditations & Awards

Artist Open Call Whether you are a professional, aspiring or self taught artist, we are looking for artists to use their talents to create art for good! Submit your work for a chance to be featured to be part of our upcoming projects and events. Don't miss out on this opportunity to showcase your talent to a wider audience. Submit today! Your Name Email Phone Tell us a bit about yourself Art mediums you specialize in Watercolour painting Acrylic painting Clay / 3D / Sculpture Nagomi art Drawing / Sketching Crafts Others If you checked others, please specify here. I am interested in Art Teaching Porjects Community Art Projects Art Exhibitions Volunteering Part Time Positions Full Time Positions Others / Collaborations I would like to collaborate as a business working partner: Yes, I am open to partnership in profit sharing in the art studio and will be willing to invest Yes, I am open to partnership on projects only No, I am not interested in a business partnership collaboration If you checked others, please specify here. Portfolio / Artist Websites Enter multiple urls with paragraph separations Any questions / comments for us Submit Thanks for submitting!

Art For Good Wins Prestigious Awards at the Singapore Business Awards 2025 We are thrilled to share some incredible news! Art For Good has been recognized at the Singapore Business Awards 2025 , hosted by APAC Insider, and has been honored with not just one, but two remarkable awards: 🏆 Best Art Therapy Provider 2025 🏆 APAC Insider Community Impact Excellence Award 2025 This recognition underscores our commitment to creating meaningful change through art therapy, fostering emotional well-being, and empowering communities across Singapore. What These Awards Mean to Us? These awards highlight the innovation, dedication, and positive impact Art For Good has consistently brought to the community. It’s a testament to the power of art in transforming lives and the trust placed in us by our beneficiaries, supporters, and collaborators. The awards are part of APAC Insider’s annual celebration of excellence, where nominees are judged on their expertise, commitment, and the innovation they bring to their respective fields. We are deeply honored to be part of this prestigious platform, which recognizes the companies and entrepreneurs driving growth and innovation in Singapore. What’s Next for Art For Good? An official announcement will be made on APAC Insider's platform in March 2025, coinciding with the launch of their celebratory magazine. We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to engaging with more communities, collaborators, and supporters to expand our impact. As we celebrate this milestone, we remain committed to our mission: bringing healing, joy, and transformation through art. Stay tuned for more updates and upcoming initiatives from Art For Good. Thank you for being part of our journey to inspire and empower through creativity! Visit our website at Art For Good  to learn more about our programs and how you can support our mission.

September 13, 2022 Author: Cathy Malchiodi – PhD Expressive Arts: Soothing Brain and Body Decades ago, one of the first things I noticed in my work with children exposed to interpersonal violence was how they physically responded to art-making and play activities. While these young clients often remained hypervigilant or withdrawn during therapy sessions, they also actively sought out ways to self-soothe. Some children found relief in simply watching paint disperse in a jar filled with water; others seemed to lose themselves in creating repetitive patterns while drawing, doodling, or scribbling. Expressive arts and play activities also served as a form of brief dissociation from anxieties or fears. In most cases, these children found refuge and respite through rhythmic kinesthetic, sensory-based experiences. Purposeful applications of expressive arts therapy support self-regulation, and for this reason, they are often used to help children and adults reduce hyperactivation and the stress responses that result from traumatic events. They can be combined with other standard approaches; for example, art therapy has been combined with mindfulness-based practices to induce and deepen relaxation. Music therapy has considerable success in reducing hyperarousal, including measurable physiological responses, such as heart rate and sympathetic nervous system reactions. In brief, most expressive arts therapy sessions integrate rhythmic breathing, mindfulness-related practices, and other calming routines into overall intervention, particularly when working with individuals who have experienced traumatic events. Individuals in treatment often note that the structure, containment, and grounding qualities that expressive arts provide feel “safer than words.” In contrast to asking individuals to revisit distressful events and emotions that the mind and body try to avoid, expressive arts interventions generally seek to establish an emotional distance from traumatic reactions to establish a sense of safety, first and foremost. For example, dramatic enactment and imaginative play capitalize on distance, allowing the therapist to help participants explore problems or distressing emotions through metaphor rather than reality. The simple act of drawing provides a way to make tangible a sensation or feeling, placing it outside oneself on paper. In brief, creative approaches have the potential to support self-regulation by giving individuals ways to separate from what is going on internally while experiencing what is often a pleasurable or novel creative experience. Over 100 years ago, Freud observed a behavioral response that underscores why we should use “action” rather than words alone to address dysregulation stemming from traumatic stress. He called this response “the compulsion to repeat,” noting that individuals who do not remember distressful events are likely to repeat those experiences both in treatment and in life. In other words, these repressed memories are repeated in the here-and-now rather than allowing the experiences to live in the past where they originated. While my psychotherapeutic stance is not psychoanalytic, Freud’s concept does highlight an important characteristic of all forms of expressive arts therapy—they are action-oriented processes that may help traumatized individuals “repeat” the memories Freud cited but in a different form. Traumatized individuals are, in fact, action-oriented in the sense that they instinctively use various unhealthy responses to address self-regulation. They also simply may not have the appropriate language (speechless terror or alexithymia) to express their feelings and body-based sensations; they may dissociate, lacking the ability to articulate their emotions; and their somatic responses may have become dysregulated. The kinesthetic/sensory qualities of rhythm, movement, enactment, visual imagery, touch, and sound found in expressive arts naturally involve active participation rather than talk-only. Also, verbally analyzing and interpreting dysregulation, along with a focus on “what’s wrong,” do not necessarily support self-regulation. Engaging the Body Through Arts-Based Expression While some therapists believe that body-based techniques are useful adjuncts to treatment, many now view the body as central in the process of trauma reparation. Expressive arts therapy is one of the few approaches to trauma treatment that consistently involves the body in some way. Art forms like dance and drama obviously include physical movement, but we also sense something in our bodies when we make art, play a musical instrument, engage in creative writing, and even when we look at an artwork in a museum, listen to music, or read powerful prose or poetry. This phenomenon is a form of embodied intelligence; the term embodied refers to the body-centered intelligence that informs one of what one knows and experiences in the environment. Traumatized individuals, especially those who have endured chronic traumatic events, find themselves literally cut off from their bodies or, at the very least, are not conscious of how their bodies are communicating or sensing from their surroundings. The same soothing qualities of expressive arts described in the previous section also serve as forms of embodied intelligence, reintroducing individuals to how the body communicates the sensations and emotions related to trauma. These body-based experiences may come in the form of anchoring and grounding, transcendence and peak moments of achievement, or focused awareness and presence in the moment, where there is a full sense of engagement in the ongoing experience. In brief, expressive arts therapy naturally shifts individuals from being “in their minds” to being more fully in their bodies. Specific applications of expressive arts therapy have so many unique dimensions that can enhance self-regulation and engagement that are too detailed to include in this post. For more specific information, check out my past posts on grounding, anchoring, mirroring and entrainment, and bilateral movement and sensory integration. Link to the original article to explore more! References Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process . New York: Guilford Publications.

September 13, 2022 Author: Cathy Malchiodi – PhD During the past decade, we have just started to learn about the effects that the expressive arts (music, movement, dance, visual art, drama, and performance) have on the brain. Some of those effects come directly from the arts’ influence on the reward circuitry in the brain. For example, playing music or even listening to a favorite song stimulates the release of dopamine, a brain chemical that increases a sense of positivity and pleasure. Numerous studies now support the arts’ ability to elevate mood simply through the experience of creation and self-expression, witnessing artworks in a museum, or attending a theatrical or musical performance. A 2020 study (Cigna, 2020) found that there has been a rapid increase in the perception of loneliness, with three out of five Americans now identifying as lonely. It is widely accepted that social isolation and loneliness negatively impact emotional and physical health, increasing the risk of mortality as much as smoking or obesity. In particular, this experience is prevalent in older adults who may be socially isolated, retired from the workplace, lost loved ones, and/or have reduced contact with family members due to distance or inability to travel. Because social isolation has a profound impact on health, the International Arts + Mind Lab (IAML) at Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute (Decker, 2020) has created a helpful synopsis of recent evidence about the arts and the “social brain.” While we think of expressive arts as individualized experiences, according to IAML, they also can trigger social engagement circuits in the brain. In brief, IAML’s report indicates that there are a variety of ways the arts help individuals of all ages feel less alone. Obviously, when experienced within the context of a group, making art, participating in theatrical performance, or creating something together has the potential to reduce the sensation of loneliness in mind and body. But some art forms may naturally hold more potential to rapidly induce the experience of social bonding and connection necessary to mediate loneliness. Of all the arts, music possibly has one of the strongest impacts on the social brain. For example, it activates the fronto-median cortex associated with social cognition almost automatically. It also supports synchrony and social bonding through the release of endorphins during interaction with music, whether passively listening or participating in singing (Tarr et al., 2014). Group singing has multiple benefits, including the reduction of depression, particularly in older adults. In most cases, actual participation in art creation has a more robust impact on the social brain. But simply experiencing the arts in some way measurably reduces loneliness. One large study (Tymoszuk et al., 2019) demonstrates that exposure to various arts venues (galleries, exhibitions, or museums) every couple of months reduces feelings of loneliness by 26 percent compared with those individuals who do not visit these venues. Attending live theater or concerts reduces loneliness even more; all these outcomes are independent of social, economic, and demographic factors. So, what are the actual mechanisms found in arts engagement that help us feel less alone in the world? According to the Baring Foundation (Cutler, 2019), an organization in the United Kingdom working to end loneliness, there are two simple factors: contact with new people and the formation of new friendships that result in less isolation. Those of us in the field of expressive arts therapy know that there is something more at work here that decreases loneliness. It’s the pleasurable, enlivening, sensory-based nature of these experiences that replaces personal narratives of isolation, depression, and hopelessness in mind and body (Malchiodi, 2020). Otherwise, gathering for a game of Bingo or a movie night would be just as effective. The IAML notes that additional research is needed to isolate these mechanisms. As we increase our understanding of arts engagement, in all its various forms, we will undoubtedly identify just how to tailor and possibly “prescribe” expressive arts to tap the social brain. Link to the original article to explore more! References Cigna. (2020). Loneliness is at epidemic levels in America. Retrieved on February 26, 2020 at https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/combatting-… Decker, E. (2020). The arts can liberate us from loneliness. Retrieved on February 20, 2020 from https://www.artsandmindlab.org/arts-liberate-from-loneliness . Cutler, D. (2019). Tackling loneliness in old age– the role of the arts. London: The Baring Foundation. Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and expressive arts therapy: Brain, body, and imagination in the healing process . New York: Guilford Publications. Tarr B, Launay J & Dunbar RIM (2014). Music and social bonding: “self-other” merging and neurohormonal mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology. (5) 1096. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01096. Tymoszuk, U., Perkins, R., Fancourt, D. et al. (2019). Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between receptive arts engagement and loneliness among older adults. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-019-01764-0