Art and Migraine: Researching the Relationship Between Artmaking and Pain Experience

Abstract

It was difficult to choose only one article from the many excellent ones published during my 4-year tenure with this journal. I have solved this quandary by choosing one article for reproduction and three others as runner-ups. I picked the article "Art and Migraine" by Randy Vick and Kathy Sexton-Radek (2005, 22[4], 193-202) for reprinting for several reasons. It is an exemplary piece of research that uses both quantitative and qualitative methods and, therefore, provides a model for research in our field that arises above the ongoing dispute about which methodology is better suited to our discipline. More than that, however, it raises some interesting questions about the healing nature of art that are worthy of emphasis from time to time so that we remain aware of art therapy's limits as well as its potential for good. Art therapy is not a panacea and continuing research is necessary in order to understand where and under what circumstances it is best applied. To quote from the authors' concluding statement:Any treatment with the power to help also bears the potential to harm if misapplied. Although seemingly counterintuitive from an art therapy perspective, we feel [our] findings underscore the need for further research concerning the subtle and complex role art can play in healing. (p. 200) My three runner-up articles with brief descriptive statements are as follows. First, the study described in "Understanding War, Visualizing Peace: Children Draw What They Know" by Kathleen Walker, Karen Myers-Bowman, and Judith Myers-Wallis (2003, 20[4], 191-200) indicated that we can use art to help children visualize peace as an alternative to war-rather than as a consequence. This use of art, then, holds the potential to assist young people in becoming world citizens who see complex issues in more than one dimension.Second, in "Can Coloring Mandalas Reduce Anx iety?" Nancy Curry and Tim Kasser (2005, 22[2], 81-85) reported on an illuminating study that found coloring either a mandala or a plaid design offered participants significant reductions in anxiety. An implication worth noting here is that it was the design's complexity that reduced participants' anxiety, rather than some "magical" aspect of the artwork's specific form.Finally, Deborah Golub's article "Social Action Art Therapy" (2005, 22[1], 17-23) provided both a multicultural and a social action perspective on art therapy treatment. This perspective is much needed by art therapists, who are practitioners in an increasingly global society.It is my hope that the reader will review these three articles in addition to reading the reprinted one below. There are important nuances in each that cannot be captured in a brief statement. ______________________________________ AbstractThis research project extends a previous study (Vick & Sexton-Radek, 1999) in examining the relationship between artmaking and pain among 127 migraine sufferers. A basic overview of migraine symptoms and treatment is presented along with a discussion of concepts relating to "migraine art...

Beyond the binaries: reshaping pain communication through arts workshops

“…She suggests that through this, ‘pain is moderated into sustained discomfort; and the objects of imagining, though individually moderated into fragmentary artifacts, are collectively translated into the structures of civilization’ (Scarry :172). Yet it is worth noting that the relationship between pain and creativity should not be taken for granted; empirical studies have noted a fraught relationship in which pain can as easily hinder creative output as promote it (Vick and Sexton‐Radek )…”

Migreni Olan Hastalarda Bilinçli Farkındalık Temelli Sanat Terapisinin Psikolojik Belirtiler ve Mutluluk Düzeylerine Etkisi: Bir Pilot Çalışma

“…Among these approaches, it has been observed that many methods that have been applied, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction program, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, psychoeducation, and self-compassion practices, can have positive results (Akçakoca et al, 2015). One of the therapeutic interventions for reducing migraine pain is art therapy (Vick et al, 2009).…”