You Don’t Need to Be ‘Well Enough’ for Art Therapy: How Creativity Can Support You During Chronic Illness Flare-Ups

When Chronic Illness Stops You in Your Tracks: Can Art Therapy Still Help?

Art for chronic illness

Last week I noticed myself sliding down into an all too familiar energy low. My thinking was cloudy and my body felt heavy and slow. It was in this dulled place, somewhere on the way to full fatigue that I wondered;

How on earth can art therapy help

when symptoms of chronic illness

stop us in our tracks?

You Don’t Have to Be “Well Enough” for Therapy

Many of us with chronic ill health keep much of this experience to ourselves. Maybe it is too complicated to explain, too personal to share or too depressing or repetitive to talk about. For a million different reasons many of us living with pain, fatigue or health anxiety hide the worst of it perhaps even the most of it away.

But here is what I want you to know;

You don't need to be well to go to therapy.

&

Therapy doesn't need to be a new stage to pretend on.

Bring your slowness, your fogginess, your dulled thinking.

Bring your anxiety spirals and harsh thoughts.

Bring your silence and your numbness. It is all important and deserves to be seen rather than hidden away.

We understand that this moment, this pain, these tears are a snapshot rather than the full movie. But it is good to share the snapshots.

Come as you are, not as you want to be

Here are some ideas on how to use your art therapy session when your symptoms mean that the last thing you feel like doing is being in a therapy session.

1. If you feel slow - make slow art. Move the pen slowly. Allow your line to meander and even stop completely. Allow watercolour to drip and run across a page. Take your time and express this slowness in art.

2. If you feel weakness - try making faint art.

Use diluted paint or water to make marks. Create soft marks that fade into the paper. Let your artwork whisper, leaving faint traces.

3. If you have been feeling invisible - Work small or tone on tone. Use quiet colours. Make work that only you can see — because you matter, even if your illness is invisible or

   hidden to others.

4. If you feel like retreating or hiding - try folding up your art to allow parts to remain unseen. Devise hidden sections of your artwork behind paper doors or under tape. Embed words or messages within clay or smoothed into thick paint. Try covering an image with another image.

A quick aside:

You never have to reveal everything in art therapy. Parts of your art can still remain private or hold meaning that is just for you

Therapy isn't about tearing off protections and exposing vulnerabilities.

It should be careful and follow your lead. Your therapist will know when to guide and when to walk alongside you. Some days you might just need them to follow behind and keep you company.

5. We could experiment with speeding up your art making to improve your energy levels.

6. We could work in soft textures and colours to soothe heartache.

7. We could work in neon and bold lettering spelling out your feelings loud and clear.

8. We could expand to using larger movements and larger canvas to allow you to experience taking up more space.

9. If your symptoms or energy prevents creating for yourself right now, that is ok. We can just talk.

10. You could also try describing your feelings for your therapist to translate into an artwork. Therapy is a collaboration, take the pressure off yourself.

Therapy Isn't About Performing Wellness

I know it can feel tempting to focus on wellness, progress and pushing yourself towards where you want to be. Theses things can be good goals some of the time.  But when life is interrupted by stops and starts, flare ups and setbacks and all the stuff of chronic illness I want you to know that;

Therapy isn't about presenting as your clearest, most open and insightful self.

There is no need to wait to be well-enough. You are welcome, as you are, symptoms and all.

Ready to Begin? Get in Touch

If you're curious, reach out. You don’t need to commit to a full journey — just a conversation. You are allowed to begin and take it a step at a time.

Stay creative ,

Ellen