Biobehavioral utility of mindfulness-based art therapy: Neurobiological underpinnings and mental health impacts
Experimental Biology and Medicine January 1, 2020 Megan E Beerse, Theresa van Lith, Scott M. Pickett et al.
Mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) combines mindfulness practices with art therapy to promote health and adaptive responses to stress. While mindfulness-based stress reduction programs reduce anxiety in people with generalized anxiety disorder and serious medical conditions, the benefits of MBAT for routine day-to-day anxiousness have received little attention. This mini-review summarizes how established mindfulness-based interventions affect mental health, focusing on MBAT, and describes data indicating involvement of specific neural circuits and neuroendocrine markers of stress and anxiety. Recent studies demonstrate therapeutic potential of intensive MBAT for severe health conditions including cancer, heart disease, and anxiety, with effectiveness that rivals cognitive behavior therapy. The field currently suffers from inconsistent deployment protocols and needs additional validation data.