I find my emotional outlets in words, both written and set to the tune of music. I do, in these areas, consider myself somewhat creative. However, when it comes to art, I immediately tense up and balk at the idea. In high school, I used to cry because I couldn't draw properly in art class. I had great ideas in my head but they were lost in the translation to my hand. However, a recent comment from a reader prompted me to rethink my usual avoidance of all things art.

To address the wordlessness of the experience [overwhelming loss], art has been life-saving for me.

Art therapy is used with success in all trauma programs that I know of. There is just something about the physicality of using our hands/bodies in the act of creation, combined with visual imagery, that is healing.

My mind starting spinning. She makes a great point. Art, a normally wordless medium, could be pretty darn effective in portraying the wordlessness of overwhelming loss. I decided to look into the subject a little bit more, trying to persuade myself to believe that I could benefit from something of this nature. Turning to Wikipedia, I enjoyed this within the explanation of art therapy:

Art therapists use the creative process and the issues that come up during art therapy to help their clients increase insight and judgment, cope better with stress, work through traumatic experiences, increase cognitive abilities, have better relationships with family and friends, and to just be able to enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of the creative experience.

I could sure use some help in working through traumatic experiences (placement), coping better with stress (in general and related to adoption) and increase insight and judgment! So, I continued on my search, seeing if anyone else in the world thought that art therapy was a valid approach to the grief and loss associated with adoption. I wasn't too surprised to find a site that did address adoption and foster care issues while discussing the benefits of art therapy. While the book linked on the site seems to deal specifically with adoptees, mostly children, the site itself does mention that some clients could be or are birth parents.

I'm absolutely sure that there are other great resources for and about art therapy. I'm actually interested in asking my own therapist about this possibility in my own healing process. For those without a therapist at the ready, I encourage you to get out some paper and pencil (or crayons, a marker, a pen, whatever is available) and let your fingers do the talking for a period of time. Perhaps you'll be surprised in what your brain tells your hand without the use of words.

Frankly, I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't previously thought to tell birth parents about this valid and very useful form of therapy as they process their grief and loss. Please feel free to mentally add it to any previous posts where I talk about the benefits of journaling or discussing things out loud. Sometimes we say things better without the use of words!

Of note: The promised wedding and marriage story post will be later today and will post in the afternoon hours (EDT) all week while I'm vacationing!

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For more on healing, read:

1. Healing: Write a Letter to Your Past Self.

2. Forgiveness in Adoption by Jan Baker.

3. Is It Okay to Be Happy by Jan Baker.

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Photo Credit: Erin Rispen.