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Terminally Ill Child Creates Art, Inspires Others
File another story under our “Inspiring Others to Create” awards (coming soon). This time it’s about a 5 year-old boy who’s hanging on to life with a thread.
Leo Haines was born prematurely and the doctors didn’t think he would survive 9 times in the last 5 years. However, creating art and painting has changed his life.
Even though Leo needs oxygen and drugs constantly because of pulmonary vein stenosis, and even though he has various cerebral palsy symptoms, around the age of 2 things began looking up for him and his family.
Little Leo took after his grandmother and began painting. And he LOVED it. He’s been doing it ever since and has built up quite the fan base. He’s even sold his art to help raise money for the hospital that took care of him when he was a baby.
Because of art therapy and sign language, Leo and his family are making the best of their seemingly short time together.
Read more about this inspiring story here.
And thanks Leo, for inspiring others to create.
Filed as Child Art Therapy | Comment (1)Brain Injury Therapy Leads to Art Therapy
We recently read an amazing article at the Miami Herald about Shari Lynn Beame.
Shari was just a teenager when it happened. She was ready to graduate and become a reporter. However, a fatal car accident resulted in a brain injury, leaving her paralyzed. Shari had to learn everything over, including walking and talking.
Then she found art. Continue reading »
Filed as Mental Health & Art Therapy | Comments (10)Video: Art Therapy Helps Women, Fights Poverty & Homelessness
The following is a video of the recent story we posted about an art therapy program that helped a former drug addict get a full scholarship to Parsons. The transcript is below. It’s a great story that really illustrates the power of art and why we created this Art Therapy site. Please share this story with others as it’s truly inspiring! Continue reading »
Filed as Videos | Comments (2)Art Therapy Program Helps Drug Addict Get Design Scholarship
Photo Credit: Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger
Emily Lewis was awarded a full scholarship to Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. However, you might be surprised at how she got there. An interesting story and a testament to art therapy, Emily Lewis dropped out of high school and was addicted to drugs. Then she met Ruthann Traylor at a homeless shelter and the events of her life took a different course.
Ruthann Traylor started an art therapy program to help fight poverty and help those living in poverty. Some people were skeptical about the program, like Connie Mercer, the executive director of HomeFront. Continue reading »
Filed as Mental Health & Art Therapy | Comments (2)Happy Memorial Day From Art Therapy
While we concentrate on art therapy most of the time (and how art therapy can help vets with PTSD), we also like to take time to acknowledge a variety of important things.
That said, we want to say thank you to all the men and women who have valiantly served the United States and who are currently serving in the Armed Forces. Regardless of what you think about government or politics, it’s important to appreciate what all these men and women have done to preserve our rights and freedoms among many other things.
Please take some time to reflect about these wonderful people and their families. If you like, feel free to leave a comment and tell others about people who deserve to be acknowledged. Others need to hear these stories!
Happy Memorial Day
Filed as General | Comments (3)PTSD Treated With Ecstasy (MDMA)
This isn’t directly related to art therapy, but it’s still very interesting news for those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A study of veterans that began 6 years ago has caused a stir with its recent findings that MDMA, the active ingredient found in ecstasy, can be used to effectively treat symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) began this study of MDMA and PTSD about 6 years ago in 2004. It was the first clinical trial of a psychedelic drug in 35 years.
One person was constantly angry, had haunting nightmares, and he withdrew and became isolated. He was daignosed with PTSD. He grew desperate after months of therapy, and eventually became part of the test. He swallowed a tablet, and after a few sessions assisted by ecstasy, his PTSD symptoms were “completely eliminated.”
This could be a huge breakthrough considering the seriousness and challenges that come with PTSD. Below is an article from TimesOnline.co.uk about how ecstasy (MDMA) changed Donna’s life after she was raped years before. Continue reading »
Filed as PTSD & Art Therapy | Comments (2)Eating Disorder Therapy Through Art
The following story was submitted by a reader named Sarah. She wanted to share her story about an eating disorder and art therapy and how art and creativity has helped her recover. Her story, along with art work and examples of her writing are below. Much thanks to Sarah for sharing her story and examples of her art work and creativity through very tough times. Truly inspiring!
If you have a story you’d like to share, let us know. Meanwhile, enjoy this great testament to the power of art and creativity… Continue reading »
Filed as Mental Health & Art Therapy | Comments (7)2010 Art Therapy Scholarship
We’ve recently added an art therapy grants and scholarships page to the site. If you know of any other scholoarships or grants, please emails us at arttherapyblog(at)gmail(dot)com. Meanwhile, check out the latest scholarship from the American Art Therapy Association – The Pearlie Roberson Award. There are two awards available for students and professionals (one each).
The deadline is July 15, 2010. Learn more here.
Filed as Education | Comments (3)Art Therapy Artwork From The Crescent House in New Orleans
The following was submitted by one of our readers (the same reader who used art to help women and children deal with violence and abuse) and we thought it was worth sharing with everyone else since we like promoting things related to art therapy. It’s always great to see art having a positive effect on others! Have a story you’d like to share? You can email us at arttherapyblog(at)gmail(dot)com.
I wanted to also share the other art work from my ladies at Crescent House. We actually did this last fall. I’d asked the ladies to look into experiences in their lives whether big or small. It didn’t have to focus on anything negative. It could have also been the result of meeting someone. It could have been someone they wished to become or something they wished to do (get a haircut, plant a garden, write a song). This activity was all about being new and how to get there. Here are a few of the results of our Transformational Self Portraits (past, present, and future).
Transformational Self Portrait Thumb Doodles
Read more about Transformational Therapy, and art therapy activities for Self Portraits.
Autism Awareness Month & Day – April 2nd
April is National Autism Awareness Month. And today is World Autism Awareness Day. Below is some general information about autism, including a definition, some poignant facts, and links to resources for art therapy and autism. You can read about how kids with autism become “Kids With Cameras” and how an artist with autism can draw entire cities from memory. You can also read a great article about how art therapy helps people with autism. Continue reading »
Filed as Autism & Art Therapy | Comments (5)
