Expressive Therapy Reduces Anxiety In Teens

Things in the world of therapy are changing and evolving everyday. Expressive therapy has become increasingly popular and is used worldwide to help those struggling with trauma and mental illnesses. At Eva Carlston Academy, we provide our students with numerous activities that are aligned with expressive therapy and give them a calming environment to healthity process their emotions. 

From art to writing to drama, expressive therapy comes in many forms that are all beneficial to its participants. By giving the mind a chance to learn about itself and have a constructive outlet to express this, it allows people to learn to cope with their trauma and understand their mental illnesses. 

What Is Expressive Therapy?

During an expressive therapy session either individually or in a group setting, the therapist will guide you through the process of expressing yourself through art, music, or dance. It provides a creative outlet to express emotions that may otherwise be difficult to process and talk about. These methods are being used around the world to help those affected by trauma, depression, anxiety, autism, and more. 

Expressive therapy can give participants the tools they need to continue their treatment on their own and increase their self awareness. Through meditative and expressive exercises, people can discover new parts of themselves and can understand and identify their feelings often associated with mental illnesses.  

Through the use of art, music, and dance participants can freely express themselves in a calm and comforting environment. Additionally, expressive therapy programs can create self-expression experiences allowing those to connect with their emotions healthily. Having a trained specialist guide the session leads to realizations and self discovery.  

How Expressive Therapy Helps Anxiety

This type of therapy often gives an environment in which participants feel relaxed and can self soothe any feelings of stress or frustration. It’s proven that when the mind is in a calm state, it can better process emotions and relieve a multitude of symptoms. Over time, the experiences and lessons learned during expressive therapy continue into daily life leaving people with an overall feeling of peacefulness.

Here at Eva Carlston, students participate in daily activities such as art, music, writing, dance, yoga, and more. These activities paired with our therapists give our students the chance to process what they are thinking or feelings and prepare them for adulthood. It allows them to properly voice their thoughts and emotions.  

Young adults that have gone through trauma or are struggling with their mental health may find it difficult to put how they are feeling into words. With anxiety, it may become increasingly more difficult with intrusive thoughts, not being able to relax or concentrate, and becoming irritable. Expressive therapy benefits the mind and helps anxiety by giving the brain an outlet to feel these emotions with movement, drawing, creating music, and more. 

Music, dance, writing, drama, and art are all ways in which expressive therapy can help reduce the symptoms of how anxiety affects the body and mind. It gives our students at Eva Carlston the outlet they need to boost their self confidence, emotions, and self expression. We strive to provide our students with the best treatment available, and by incorporating expressive therapy into their daily routine we give them resources to thrive.