The Expressive Instinct

Abstract

The premise of this book is that creative self-expression is as fundamental to mental health and well-being as physical exercise and nutritious food are to the body. The author seeks to explain the human instinct for creative expression: why it exists, what happens when we cannot express ourselves effectively, the sublimating role of creativity, how it aids healing, and how it can help us thrive biologically, psychologically, spiritually, and physically (including as sexual beings). The four goals of the book are as follows: (1) to dispel the idea that creativity is the domain of a select gifted few; (2) to democratize the idea of creative self-expression and share evidence from neurobiology and neuroscience on how making things, innovating, and bridging from the intangible of the imagination to the concreteness of objects promotes well-being; (3) to show how, when we face adversity and trauma to an extent that threatens our own capacity to function, working with someone like an art therapist who can serve a facilitative role can help us develop a sense of belonging and function adaptively in the world again; and (4) to provide suggestions on how the results of research on creative self-expression and well-being can be integrated into our lives and what we have to look forward to in the future.

A conceptual framework for a neurophysiological basis of art therapy for PTSD

“…These may emerge as representational artwork, as symbols or metaphors where one thing is conceived in terms of another to understand abstract, emotional, or other experiences (Lakoff and Johnson, 2008). The creative process of using metaphors and symbols allows new insights into the self, others, thoughts, feelings, and situations (Kaimal, 2022). Military populations with PTSD and TBI have reported benefit of art therapy to communicate inner experiences or visual self-narratives on artworks-metaphorically or symbolically (Smith, 2016;Walker et al, 2017;Schnitzer et al, 2021).…”

Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy approach to the emotional regulation effect of drawing: Venting versus distraction

“…Current neuroimaging techniques offer a viable way to measure brain activity in realistic settings. They can help elucidate how art‐making in the therapeutic relationship employs the brain and can provide scientific data for measuring the mechanisms of change and effects of clinical art therapy interventions (Kaimal, 2023 ; King & Kaimal, 2019 ; King et al., 2019 ).…”