The creation of art has been a healing technique for millennia, evidence of which can be found in many cultures and traditions all over the world. But only recently, in the 1940s, did art and healthcare combine in a formal therapeutic setting to become known as art therapy, per the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB).

Today, under the guidance of a licensed, board-certified practitioner, creating various forms of visual art, from sculpture to painting and even scribbling, may provide powerful healing benefits for some folks.

“The art activity itself [can be] therapeutic, [in that it potentially] relieves tension, relaxes people, and distracts people from pain,” says Judith Rubin, PhD, a licensed counselor and board-certified art therapist, and licensed psychologist and faculty member of the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Society and Institute in Pennsylvania. It may also help people process past traumas or sift through challenging emotions and feelings, and possibly help treat certain health concerns, she adds.

While more scientific studies are needed to better understand how art therapy may impact mental and physical health, per a recent review, there’s growing interest in its possible efficacy for a broad spectrum of health conditions.

For example, organizations like NeuroArts Blueprint (a group of neuroscientists and arts practitioners, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and the Aspen Institute) aim to address research gaps and expand neuro-arts education for providers, among other initiatives, per its recent progress report.

Susan Magsamen, NeuroArts Blueprint codirector and executive director at the International Arts and Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, says the organization hopes to substantiate what we already inherently know: Humans are wired to create, and making art may make us feel good.

Keep in mind, more research is needed as most current studies include small population sizes, making it difficult to draw conclusions for larger groups. That said, here are some possible health and wellness perks the emerging, evolving field of art therapy may provide.

1. May Reduce Stress

When paired with therapy, creating art might provide much-needed stress relief from life’s overwhelm.

One small past study of 39 participants found that just 45 minutes of art-making (including using collage materials, modeling clay, or markers) reduced cortisol levels (a stress hormone) in 75 percent of people. Participants also reported that the session evoked a desire to make more art in the future.

Another systematic review, which included 37 studies with over 2,000 participants, found that in 81 percent of research reviewed, participants reported a significant reduction of stress from creative arts interventions, like art therapy. The authors concluded that these types of expressive therapies (which also included dance, movement, drama, music, and others) may be useful interventions for stress management and prevention.

2. May Improve Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Working with an art therapist may also be helpful if you experience depression or anxiety.

A small randomized controlled trial out of Brazil found that of a group of elderly women with major depressive disorder (MDD), those who participated in 20 weekly art-therapy group sessions reported improvement in their depression and anxiety symptoms, compared with the control group that didn’t participate in art-therapy sessions. The authors conjectured that art-making therapy sessions allowed participants to cope with stressful events, and express themselves in a way not otherwise accessible to them in daily life.

Another systematic review published in August 2021 in Frontiers in Psychology evaluated 413 studies on the effectiveness of art therapy, and concluded these approaches may successfully help patients with mental-health disorders to open up and share their feelings, views, and experiences.

Additionally, a chapter reviewing research of clay art therapy found the approach potentially effective for patients recovering from depression to help strengthen emotional regulation (understanding which emotions are present and how they are experienced or expressed).

3. May Build Self-Esteem and Boost Self-Image

Though most current art-therapy research focuses on chronic illness, the approach may help promote self-expression, as well as a sense of personal independence, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency in healthy people, too. “Artwork really helps you understand what matters to you and what gives you identity,” says Magsamen.

In a report published in 2019 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the authors noted that participating in expressive arts activities may build self-esteem, self-acceptance, confidence, and self-worth. WHO also noted these kinds of interventions may be especially useful for people with chronic illness, to help them process difficult or complex thoughts and feelings about their experiences and conditions.

Additionally, past research found that art therapy practices may enhance the emotional, physical, and cognitive development of child and adult patients with chronic illness, physical challenges, and cancer.

4. May Help Patients With Cancer Manage Pain and Stress

Some research has found art therapy may enhance quality of life, and reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in people coping with cancer.

A small past study found that 20 women who received radiotherapy for breast cancer saw significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and physical symptoms after five weekly art therapy sessions (with a certified therapist, and using painting and drawing approaches), compared with 21 women who didn’t receive art therapy. The improvements were still evident after four months, demonstrating a potentially lasting effect.

The American Cancer Society lists art or music therapy as safe, helpful methods to promote healing and enhance quality of life for people with cancer, and per Michigan State University Extension, art therapy for children with cancer may improve their ability to deal with pain and other frightening symptoms of their disease and prognosis.

Furthermore, research suggests cancer patients don’t have to engage in art-making themselves to reap possible health benefits. In one study published in February 2019 in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, an artist painted in an outpatient chemotherapy treatment room for eight weeks, and patients reported that having the artist present provided a calming and relaxing effect, kept their minds occupied, lightened the overall mood, and increased social interaction.

5. May Improve Behavior in Autistic Children

Art therapy may be an effective form of healing to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

One small study that followed 40 children ages 6 to 12 with ASD in Iran found that after 12 sessions, children in the painting therapy group showed more adaptive behaviors and emotions, an increased ability to share their feelings, and improved social interactions, compared with the control group.

A separate review published in October 2022 in American Journal of Occupational Therapy that included 15 studies in children (ages 3.5 to 16 years) with autism found evidence that arts interventions, like drawing and painting, as well as music and drama, might help children with autism express themselves to gain perspectives and social learning.

6. May Help People With PTSD

Art therapy may be a helpful approach for people with trauma and PTSD.

One small past controlled trial of 11 combat veterans who experienced PTSD found that art therapy, in conjunction with cognitive processing therapy (CPT), provided healthy distancing, enhanced trauma recall, and increased access to emotions — all of which reportedly improved overall trauma processing, compared with the half that only received CPT.

Additionally, the trial cited three separate studies which independently suggested traumatic memories might be stored nonverbally. And the authors noted that the use of a nonverbal therapeutic tool (in this case, eight 75-minute sessions of art therapy) possibly allowed for deeper emotional processing. The veterans who participated in art-therapy sessions said they were able to either recover blocked memories or gain crucial realizations that moved their healing process forward.

6 Potential Health Benefits of Art Therapy