——————– I: Background of Art Therapy ——————–<\/p>\n
Art therapy includes various forms of art: visual art, music, and creative writing, etc. Art therapy is commonly used for people with emotional disorders such as PTSD and depression. People are encouraged to make art including drawing and writing by using vehement elements like vibrant colors. Studies have shown that when being treated with art therapy, people show a decrease in depression symptoms (Chiang et al., 2019). Some people also report with an increase in confidence and self-esteem when performing instruments and acting in plays (Beans, 2019). <\/p>\n
There are many explanations for why art therapy is effective. One explains that art allows people to express their emotions. For instance, some people with eating disorders are found to oppress their emotions, and the over cumulative repressed emotions force them to seek control over their diet as a way of controlling and expressing themselves. Art, on the other hand, allows those people to express themselves and gain a sense of control. It tries to become a new coping mechanism. <\/p>\n
Another explanation for the effectiveness of art therapy points out that art encourages them to confront what they are not willing to reflect on, such as their traumatic memories. When people with PTSD are encouraged to paint face masks that represent themselves (this is the cover image), they gain a sense of self-identity with the embracement of their past (Beans, 2019). <\/p>\n
But how exactly self-control and self-identity are helpful in people gaining control over their emotions? Specifically, how does art therapy helps people, especially those in emotional disorder, master their emotions? It makes sense that it is a relief for those who used to oppress emotions to unload their emotions. But how does the relief help master emotions? <\/p>\n
I think constructivism may provide interesting responses. Barrett may respond that art therapy helps in two ways: it helps people maintain a balanced body budget; it allows people to learn new emotional concepts.<\/p>\n
——————– II: Body Budget & Emotions ——————<\/p>\n
Body budget is a basic process of allocating energy such as glucose to different organs. If we say energy is the tax, body budget is the process of allocating the \u201ctax\u201d to different \u201cinstitutes\u201d – those organs inside the body. <\/p>\n
To further understand body budget, we need to understand the role of the brain. According to Barrett, an essential function of the brain is to predict. The ability to predict is an evolutionary result of our brain because it allows us to be more efficient (60). Imagine, if the brain could not predict what is going to happen, our bodies would not be able to prepare ourselves earlier and respond to things immediately. This will put us in evolutionary disadvantages when confronting potential dangers. As a result, to predict becomes intuitive for the brain. <\/p>\n
But prediction is just the beginning. Barrett points out, after predicting, the brain then stimulates bodily senses and movements (63). For example, when we are in a forest, we hear a howl resembling a bear, the brain predicts there is a bear. We can feel our hearts immediately beat faster, and we feel our legs are ready to run as fast as we can without doing any warm-up or stretching. <\/p>\n
This is how the bodily reactions and senses are stimulated due to our brain predictions. This also demonstrates the relationship with body budget and the brain prediction: the brain prediction tells the energy to go to specific parts of the body; or simply say, the brain prediction determines where body budget flows, and it happens every second: it allows us to breath and our hearts to beat. But how do all of these have to do with emotions? <\/p>\n
The simple answer is: the body budget flow determines our emotions. Barrett\u2019s reason is that after stimulating our senses, the brain confirms what actually happens and compares it with the predictions. If our prediction is correct, it means things go along the way we expect and that is good. But when our predictions go wrong, or in Barrett\u2019s terms, when there is a \u201cprediction error\u201d (65), there are two ways in which the brain can adapt to the error. One is to change the prediction. Barrett says this is like a responsible scientist who corrects the lab hypothesis and conforms to the results when the results are not what s\/he expects (65). <\/p>\n
In contrast, the other way is to stick with the previous prediction and filter the \u201csensory input so that it is consistent with the prediction\u201d (64). This is an essential point of constructivism. It means that the brain controls how we feel in order to conform to our predictions: it allows the inputs that fit the predictions in and filters the others that don\u2019t fit out. But the point is that we also form our emotions and perceptions based on the inputs. <\/p>\n
In other words, our emotions are results of what the brain already predicts and filters. This sounds pretty contradictory to our common sense that emotions are results of what happens to us. Barrett argues exactly the opposite: she thinks it is the brain that predicts and determines our emotions. To use her words: \u201cyour bodily feeling right now will project forward to influence what you will feel and do in the future\u201d (82). <\/p>\n
Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, the brain doesn’t predict randomly; instead, the brain predicts based on our previous experience and perceptions. This is how Barrett\u2019s ideas of constructivism are tied in. Barrett believes that emotions are constructed through the following three factors – social, psychological, and neuroconstructional factors (35). What this means is that our experience, brain construction, and many other individual factors influence how the brain predicts, and, therefore, our emotions are constructed based on the sum of them. <\/p>\n
So far, we learn about the tight connection between body budget and emotions from Barrett. The next task is to understand how art helps regulate body budget and emotions. <\/p>\n
——————– III: Art & Emotion Illness ——————–<\/p>\n
What happens if the brain mispredicts? According to Barrett, if the brain mispredicts, the body budget is going to be unbalanced (200). But Barrett specifically emphasizes that it is a long-lasting unbalanced body budget that becomes problematic (200). Such misbudgeting undermines our immune system which prevents us from various illnesses like inflammation (201). Furthermore, it causes problematic emotional illnesses. <\/p>\n
For instance, Barrett argues that depression is due to the brain \u201clocked into misery\u201d (210). The brain has fallen into a trap of mispredicting: it gets stuck in past negative feelings and thoughts and rejecting to be corrected by the present (210). Under depression, the brain refuses to confront the difference between its false predictions in contrast to reality. As a result of the misprediction, the brain issues many \u201cunnecessary predictions of pain\u201d meaning sending the message that you are not alright to various parts of your body (207). The responding messages from the parts of your body are then filtered in a way in order to confirm to the brain that indeed, no part of the body is doing well. Then, the body budget works in the way as if the body is not well. Consequently, the \u201ccycle of misbudgeting\u201d is strengthened (211). <\/p>\n
To overcome depression, based on Barretts\u2019 views, requires people with depression to break the cycle of misbudgeting. It requires people to get out of the past misery and look at the positive aspect of the present and future. This is how art comes in and helps: visual art, music, and writing encourage people to discover something meaningful around them and allows them to express their hope freely. The fact that they have art – the free platform for their emotional expressions – is something positive for them. And when people focus on something positive and are willing to correct their predictions if things go differently, their body budgets and emotional states can return to the balance. <\/p>\n
But in some cases, like the PTSD example I mentioned at the beginning of the essay, it asks people to confront their miserable past. Doesn\u2019t this seem contradictory to Barrett\u2019s point of focusing on the present and the positive? How do these two reconcile? <\/p>\n
My argument is the following: to let the brain overcome past misery, the brain has to be convinced that what had happened in the past is gotten over. When the brain is still stuck in the past, this suggests that the brain has not gotten over the negative experience yet. Maybe there is something in the experience that you subconsciously don\u2019t want to let go yet. <\/p>\n
Therefore, art therapy provides them a channel to delve into the miserable experience which they have rejected for so long and embrace it to get over it. It is after getting over the experience, the brain prediction can focus on the present. As a result, their body budget can return to equilibrium. So can their emotional state. <\/p>\n
This is also why Barretts endorses watching a sad movie so that we can have a good cry (179). The point is not to indulge ourselves with the past misery, but rather to encourage ourselves to embrace the past so that we can look at the present more. <\/p>\n
Besides, I think Barrett will also point out art helps people learn and develop new concepts, especially for theatre or creative writing. When participating in acting, people practice the compassion skills that allow them to understand others\u2019 emotions (Chiang, Reid-Varley, & Fan, 2019). By doing so, people can learn new concepts, and their emotional database will be expanded. Thus, the brain can have a more appropriate and helpful prediction (179). This is how someone may become more \u201cemotionally intelligent\u201d according to Barrett (179). <\/p>\n
Similarly, art may also help people recategorize their emotions. The recategorization of emotions is not to label sadness as sadness and happiness as happiness. Rather, it is a process of deconstructing the emotions that potentially harm you and reconstructing them into another helpful one. For example, Barrett mentions that we can deconstruct our anxiety to its bodily sensations like fast heartbeats; and then we reconstruct a positive excitement based on the bodily symptoms (189). As a result, we can \u201crecategorize anxiety as excitement\u201d (189). <\/p>\n
She admits this is tough, but it is achievable with practices(188). She points out that the ability to deconstruct and then reconstruct is an artistic ability because it\u2019s like to deconstruct an object into its outlines, dimensions, colors, etc (189). It requires detailed observation and abstraction, and this is what artists do. But of course, other practices besides art, such as meditation, can also help. <\/p>\n
In conclusion, art therapy is helpful because it helps people focus on something different so that the brain predictions can be corrected. As a result, their body budgets and emotional states can be in good shape. <\/p>\n
Reference: <\/p>\n
Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made. Mariner Books Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.<\/p>\n
Beans, C. (2019). Science and Culture: Searching for the science behind art therapy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(3), 707\u2013710. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1821297116<\/p>\n
Chiang, M., Reid-Varley, W. B., & Fan, X. (2019). Creative art therapy for mental illness. Psychiatry Research, 275, 129\u2013136. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psychres.2019.03.025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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