Art, Sandplay and Music Therapy have an important role to play in helping patients deal with, learn from and surrender to treatments for Cancer
Using art, sandplay and music therapy in cancer treatment regimes
I have used Art, Sandplay and Music Therapy to assist children and adults with illness since the 1980’s. Artistic therapies are still not really well known or recognised for their effectiveness, yet I have successfully used them with clients, families and carers living with the effects of Cancer, Autism, ADHD/ADD, Acquired Brain Injury, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimers, and Motor Neuron Disease.
For five years I was an art therapist and counsellor at the Cancer Centre of a Major Hospital, using art, sandplay and music therapy to help patients understand and embrace their journey with Cancer. As well as running weekly groups, and working with individual patients and carers, I also curated exhibitions of their work.
Art, sandplay and music therapies can be useful additions to the regimen of treatments. They help clients view their lives differently, access their feelings and interact with their illness via non-verbal aspects. The article below shows that Art, Sandplay and Music therapy are now being embraced by media and hospitals – as at the very least – a helpful addition to medical therapies for cancer treatments! Still have a way to go for such therapies to be fully embraced and recognised for all that they can do, but things are starting to change. This article, explores how a young girl and her family have been affected by working with play and music therapists as she receives cancer treatment: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-22/play-and-music-therapy-hospital-story/5687608