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Getting Rid of Stress
The Healing ArtsLearn how music, dance or drawing can help you
Join an Artistic Journey Through Life and LossEnjoy music, theater, dance, art and a reception as you learn how the arts help us cope with loss. Event sponsors are Lehigh Valley Hospice and Moravian Theological Seminary.Sun., June 11; 4 p.m. At Moravian College's Foy Hall For more details, call 610-402-CARE. Music, dance, theater and visual arts all can help bring balance to your life when you’re struggling with loss, pain, stress, illness or just a low mood. “Sometimes art is simple and predictable, which is reassuring,” Stone says. “Sometimes it’s complex and surprising, which is entertaining.” When you need comfort, a song can lift your spirits by sparking special memories. When you need distraction, a play can draw you into a new world. “A painting can take you to a more peaceful place,” says Father Tim Hasenecz, Lehigh Valley Hospice chaplain. “I’ve witnessed people admire a landscape and say, ‘I hope that’s what heaven looks like. I hope that’s where my loved one is going.’ It’s very powerful.” Powerful, indeed—when nurses at Lehigh Valley Hospital researched ways of calming patients who were struggling with anxiety and depression, they found that music was as effective as medication. Rebekah Flack, art therapist at the hospital, uses collage, sculpture and drawing to treat patients fighting psychosis, depression and eating disorders. “When it’s hard to put your feelings into words, painting, dancing, forming clay, doing photography, even scrapbooking can give you a different language for expressing yourself,” she says. She suggests letting go of any expectations before you dive in: “Just feel free to create.”
Want to Know More about coping with feelings that are more than you can handle?
For a referral to a therapist, call 610-402-CARE. Watch for a story on health issues of performing artists in an upcoming issue of Healthy You. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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