Key Scientific Findings.
For the artists in the SICK AF Collective, art making is part of their healing journey. And science supports what many artists have always known — that creativity heals.
Cognitive & Motor Rehabilitation >
Art-making stimulates neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to rewire itself – supporting improvements in attention, memory, and executive functioning. Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination can also strengthen through repeated creative tasks.
Community & Belonging >
Sharing creative work supports social connection and combats isolation. Participating in group art programs can foster validation and peer support in ways clinical care alone may not provide.
Emotional Expression & Processing >
Art provides safe, non-verbal ways to express feelings that may be difficult or overwhelming to articulate. This can support emotional regulation and mental wellbeing.
Improved Health Outcomes >
Across numerous studies, art engagement has been linked with reduced depression and anxiety, increased rehabilitation participation, shorter hospital stays, and enhanced overall wellbeing.
Nervous System Regulation >
Repetitive, sensory activities like drawing, stitching, or sculpting help regulate the autonomic nervous system. These calming actions can reduce stress, anxiety, and trauma symptoms by shifting the body out of a fight-or-flight state.
Pain & Symptom Management >
Focusing deeply on creative work can activate flow states – a focused, immersive experience that reduces the perception of pain and fatigue. This offers temporary relief and supports longer-term coping.
Resilience & Identity Reconstruction >
Making art can help rebuild a sense of self after illness, injury, or diagnosis. It fosters meaning, hope, and a renewed orientation toward the future.
Spiritual & Cultural Healing >
Art can connect people to personal or cultural symbolism, heritage, and spiritual meaning. This holistic dimension supports recovery across mind, body, and spirit.
Art, Health and the Benefits We See
Across a wide range of health conditions, creative practices have been shown to support recovery, wellbeing, and self-expression in ways that clinical approaches alone often cannot. This table brings together lived experience, professional arts practice, and the growing evidence base – showing how different conditions are supported through artistic processes, and the benefits artists have observed in their own lives.
Examples
| Condition | Art Practice Used | Benefits Observed |
| ADHD | Expressive arts (painting, collage, music, kinetic sculpture) | Supporting focus through hyperfixation-positive activities, emotional regulation, building self-esteem through finished creative products |
| Autism Spectrum Conditions | Structured or sensory-adaptive arts (fiber arts, pattern-based painting, digital art, sculpture) | Enhancing communication, supporting sensory integration, providing joy and mastery in special interests, reducing anxiety |
| Cancer Recovery | Visual arts, poetry, textile art, photography | Processing trauma, reconstructing identity, managing fatigue and physical changes, emotional healing, finding beauty and purpose after illness |
| Complex PTSD (CPTSD) | Journaling with visual elements, slow textile art (weaving, embroidery), mixed media | Processing fragmented memories, rebuilding trust in self, nurturing a sense of safe embodiment, gradual exposure to emotional memories through controlled creativity |
| Dysautonomia (including POTS) | Seated or reclining art activities (drawing, beading, photography), mindfulness-based making | Managing orthostatic symptoms through accessible creativity; stress reduction to stabilize autonomic function; building routine and emotional resilience |
| Fibromyalgia | Painting, ceramics, fiber arts | Pain management through flow state, emotional regulation, sensory exploration, gentle movement of hands/joints |
| Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) | Visual arts, dance/movement therapy, writing | Rebuilding body awareness, emotional processing, developing agency |
| Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAD) | Highly individualized low-stimulus arts (small-scale painting, journaling, textile crafts) | Reduces sensory overload, stress management (which can reduce flares), emotional processing in safe, controlled environments |
| Multiple Sclerosis (MS) | Painting, sculpture, textile art | Improved motor skills, fatigue management, emotional expression, self-esteem |
| Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) | Gentle, paced visual arts (drawing, collage, photography), creative writing | Energy management through low-intensity creativity, emotional expression, pacing mastery, maintaining a sense of purpose |
| Parkinson’s Disease | Dance (especially tango), singing, painting | Improved balance, gait, voice strength, fine motor skills, mood |
| PTSD | Visual storytelling (painting, narrative art, graphic novels), clay work, mindful photography | Safely accessing and externalizing traumatic memories, building coherence in narrative, reducing hypervigilance, reconnecting with the body and senses |
| Stroke Recovery | Visual arts, music, writing | Neuroplasticity stimulation, hand function, speech rehabilitation |
| Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI/ABI) | Visual arts, theatre, poetry | Cognitive retraining (memory, planning), emotional resilience |
Key notes for engaging in art practices with:
FND, TBI/ABI, Stroke
- Art-making helps retrain brain-body pathways without the pressure of “doing it right” – it supports curiosity, movement, sensory integration, which are critical for recovery.
ME/CFS, Fibro, and MCAS
- Pacing is critical (so “energy envelopes” are respected – no overexertion).
- Adaptive setups are often needed (e.g., seated activities, short durations, low sensory intensity).
- The focus is on pleasure, gentleness, and sustainability of engagement rather than intensive output.
PTSD and CPTSD
- Trauma-informed practices are essential: activities must offer choice, control, pacing, and grounding techniques.
- Creativity allows for non-verbal expression when words are too hard or unavailable.
- Repetition (e.g., weaving, stitching) can create calming sensory input that helps regulate the nervous system.
Remember to pace
Engage in creative flow carefully, sustainably, and joyfully – not in a push-crash dynamic, to avoid boom-bust cycles.