Healing High Art

Much of the research published on the efficacy of art exposure therapy has been conducted using artwork that is unremarkable, lacking any outstanding aesthetic value or intellectual depth. Many other studies use overexposed classics from bygone eras that may have great significance in art history and culture, but aren't particularly impactful to the typical viewer. Due to the nature of scientific research, most studies examine brief exposure in a laboratory setting, which is antithetical to genuinely experiencing art. By contrast, little research has been conducted on long-term exposure to contemporary works of high art within a living environment, but available data on the supporting concepts suggest this can be an effective therapeutic modality.

Art affects people, whether through immediate chemical reactions, short-term emotional changes, or long-term cognitive shifts. Showing the right art to the right person at the right time can have profoundly useful therapeutic effects.

Works that can reliably captivate attention and evoke positive emotions are difficult to find, but worth the effort as they are generally helpful when placed in a variety of locations. Even rarer still are pieces capable of communicating specific, complex messages related to mental health. When such masterworks can be found, they must be displayed at the right place and time to achieve the proper effect.

High Art in Practice

Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios feature several exceptional works of high art that are based on specific concepts vital to trauma recovery. These pieces have been chosen and placed extremely carefully to maximize their impact.

Since Haven House is a shared living environment, these works are primarily in the common areas of the home. For example, "What Shines Through" is hung in the office, which every resident visits at least once a day, but it is hung in a space where it's seen for only a brief moment while entering before being passed by. This is by design because the message the piece illustrates—that positivity is a choice—is crucial for everyone in trauma recovery to learn before they leave. However, this message would be counterproductively harmful to deliver to someone at the beginning of their therapy program, when they are presumably near their lowest. After surviving severe trauma and suffering its effects for a long time, being told that you need to choose positivity can appear hopelessly naïve or worse, like victim-blaming. But since this lesson must eventually be learned, instead of hanging it anywhere it could be stared at and meditated upon for long periods, it is in the only spot where everyone will see it regularly, but not for very long. That way, they can be repeatedly exposed to it for brief durations, so that when their mental state improves to the point where they can be receptive to the concept, they can recognize and accept it.

On the other hand, "Heart Says Go; Gut Says No" is a painting that shows a woman at peace with her conflicting emotions. This powerful piece promotes healthy emotional regulation and encourages women to honor their instincts and protect themselves, especially when they sense danger—an essential message since so many societal mechanisms pressure women to ignore their own feelings and sacrifice their own safety and security in order to please others. This piece is hung by the Haven House front door, as traveling through the portal between the home and the outside world triggers a mental reset, and reinforcing the idea of honoring and regulating one's emotions is useful when coming home to interact their housemates, leaving the home to go to therapy or elsewhere out in the world.

At Cloud Nine Studios, the common areas are all outdoors, where several pieces of high art are placed at key locations to achieve very specific psychological effects with very precise timing for residents as they come home. For details, please read about the Recovery Pathway.

Caveats

Those seeking to use this modality should note that doing so is extremely time-consuming, as tens of thousands of original works of art may need to be reviewed before a single suitable one is found.

Such pieces are also usually expensive. However, the value of these works of art could be compared to the value of a low-dose, high-frequency therapeutic pharmaceutical. Amortized over enough people and time, the right art can provide a greater therapeutic benefit per dollar, especially when considering the lack of side effects, interactions, and administration costs, plus the fact that certain art can achieve unique, targeted goals that drugs cannot.

Due to the nature of this delivery through objects that are seen every day, the best concepts to convey through art are either messages that are difficult to accept, or else mantras that demand vigilant effort to put into practice, both of which can benefit from repeated exposure.

Finally, the therapeutic efficacy of artwork is exponentially enhanced by knowledge, i.e., the more the residents know about these works and the artists who made them, the more effective they will be. However, this information must be conveyed when the resident is receptive to it, which is where Artist Connections can help.