For anyone who enjoys being creative, one tool that might help manage living with epilepsy is art therapy. This creativity-based form of therapy allows the exploring of emotions and feelings through the process of creating, such as by painting, sculpting, or drawing. Led by a qualified therapist, art therapy can be offered in individual or group sessions.
In art therapy, people learn how to process some of the challenges that come with epilepsy by making art about those challenges. Because art therapy doesn’t require the technical skills of being an artist, this creative medium is open to all individuals with epilepsy.
Research suggests art therapy may benefit people living with epilepsy. In one study, 67 people living with epilepsy who participated in a multi-week art therapy program showed improvements in self-esteem. Self-esteem measures in the study included feelings of self-worth, self-respect, and the ability to do things as well as most other people.
Like other professional therapists, art therapists are highly trained. To practice, art therapists must have a master’s degree in art therapy from an accredited institution. They must also complete supervised clinical and internship training.
Melissa Díaz, a New York State licensed creative arts therapist, leads art therapy sessions for adults and teens with epilepsy. One project that her participants particularly loved was creating masks. “Epilepsy is one part of an individual and any individual living with a disability is capable of overcoming barriers and sharing in many important life roles and identities,” says Díaz. “Through mask making, group members explored inner and outer experiences, in regard to the areas that one keeps inside, and the face that one shows to the world.” Participants also made collages, which illustrated the feelings that accompany physical experiences that one cannot always control. “Creating art provides an act of control and autonomy,” says Díaz.
Epilepsy can be challenging to articulate verbally, particularly for children. Art therapy has been shown to help children who are nonverbal express their emotions. Those who study the management and treatment of epilepsy are finding that art therapy may be an underused tool in understanding their patients’ experiences. For example, according to one analysis of art therapy groups, pictures drawn by children of their seizures correlated reliably with their seizure type. Their drawings also provided insight into children’s inner world, such as their feelings of helplessness and vulnerability.
Besides the benefits of expression, an art therapy program also offers community and a sense of shared experience. For adults and children, participating in art therapy programs helps them meet peers who are facing similar challenges. “Individuals with epilepsy are able to explore living beyond a diagnosis. In a safe and exploratory environment, [they] are able to discuss experiences of stigma and misunderstandings by community, friends, and family,” says Díaz. “They are able to process these feelings and generate hope through art making.”