Creating Art as a form of mental health treatment dates back to the mid-twentieth century, when troops returning from World War II battlefields were left with a condition known as “shell shock,” but is now known as a post-traumatic stress disorder. Veterans painted, drew, sculpted, and created other types of Art to help them absorb what they had seen and experienced during the conflict. 

“They struggled with traditional forms of medical and therapeutical intervention,” says Girija Kaimal, an art therapist at Drexel University and the president of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). “Experiences like trauma are challenging to articulate into words, so therapies that can support and connect patients with nonverbal expression are the foundation of the creative arts therapies.”

Neuroesthetics collects scientific evidence of how we respond to the arts through brain imaging, brain wave technologies, and biofeedback. There is physical and scientific evidence that the arts engage the intellect in innovative ways, tap into our emotions in healthy habits, and make us feel good.