Can Expressive Arts Therapy Help Anxiety? | East-West Center for Counselling and Training

 

Conversations on Healing

with Dr. Magdalene Jeyarathnam

"A space to explore creativity, relationships, emotional wellbeing and the courage to become more fully ourselves."

 

Conversation #4

Can Expressive Arts Therapy Help Anxiety?

Finding calm through creativity, connection and self-expression.

Does Anxiety Feel Like It Never Switches Off?

Anxiety can affect our thoughts, body and relationships. Racing thoughts, muscle tension, poor sleep and constant worry are common experiences. Although anxiety feels overwhelming, it is an experience—not your identity—and with support it can change.

Why Talking Is Sometimes Not Enough

Anxiety is experienced not only in our thoughts but also in our bodies. Expressive Arts Therapy invites the whole person into the healing process through creativity, movement, imagination, storytelling, music and reflection.

How Expressive Arts Therapy Can Help

Creative expression provides a safe way to explore emotions that may be difficult to explain. Painting, movement, music, role-play, poetry and storytelling become pathways to understanding, emotional regulation and hope.

Five Ways Creativity Supports Healing

• Calms the nervous system.
• Gives emotions a safe form of expression.
• Creates distance from overwhelming feelings.
• Increases self-awareness.
• Restores hope and new possibilities.

Research and Practice

Research in creative arts therapies suggests benefits for emotional regulation, stress reduction and psychological wellbeing. Therapy is most effective when guided by a qualified professional and integrated into an individual's overall care.

From the Practice of Dr. Magdalene Jeyarathnam

A participant once described her anxiety as 'a room full of buzzing bees.' During a creative exercise she added a small patch of bright yellow to the picture. When asked about it, she replied, 'That's the window. I'd forgotten there was one.' The anxiety had not disappeared, but hope had become visible. Creativity often helps us discover possibilities that anxiety hides.

A Question to Carry With You

If your anxiety could be expressed through a colour, a piece of music or a story, what would it look or sound like? What might it be asking you to notice?