Creative Healing :

Bringing the Transformative power of art, writing, music, and dance, into your life.

Michael Samuels, M.D. and Mary Lane, R.N., M.S.N., Ph Dc

"It is like putting on the mask of the healing artist and taking it off.

When you take the mask off the second time you realize you are changed and your world is changed."

Table of Contents

Section One: How art and healing are one

Chapter One, Introduction: An brief overview of the field, How art heals, how the first healer and the first artist and musician were one person, the transformative power of art, How artists and musicians use art to heal themselves, how art and music are used to heal people who are ill in hospitals now, how art and music free our healing energies.

Chapter Two, How art and music heal: Scientific research studies, physiology, the autonomic nervous system, the immune system, the mind body models of healing, resonating the body, mind, and spirit, freeing healing energy, changing attitude and giving hope, freeing the spirit to heal, healing the earth.

Chapter Three, The history of art and healing: Art as a transformational force, how art and healing were one, the hunter gatherer, the shaman, how the ancient peoples used art to heal, the ancient agricultural peoples, Christian healing art and music, Buddhist healing art and music, our traditions of art as effecting the world rediscovered.

Section Two: How you can use art to heal yourself:

Painting, sculpture, music, dance, poetry, storytelling, we are all artists. Choosing your art form. Setting up a studio. Starting to make art, music, and dance happen, watching transformation occur.

Chapter Four, Painting and Sculpture and healing: Drawing images from within, setting up your studio, choosing materials, your first lines, watching your art emerge, seeing the illness and its healing forces, how to use shapes and colors to heal, mandalas for healing, fabric arts, healing quilts, murals, going to art shows as healing, examples of art that heals, hanging art when you are ill.

Chapter Five, Music and healing: combining music with guided imagery, Choosing an instrument, singing, chanting, toning, drumming, examples of healing music from around the world, going to concerts, listening to music, using tapes when you are ill, healing imagery and music.

Chapter Six, Dance and healing: Moving and healing, moving in bed, dancing the spirits, finding your own healing dance, going to dance performances.

Chapter Seven, Poetry and storytelling as healing: Bringing out our healing stories, freeing our emotions, telling our story, finding our healing voice, writing poetry and journaling as healing, going to theater as healing.

Section Three: How healers and artists are using art to heal,

detailed stories of art programs and artists.

Chapter Eight, How healers use art and music today: Hospital programs in art and music, art and music at the bedside, how the programs started, The University of Florida, Gainesville, Duke, The University of California, San Francisco, the artist in residence in medical centers, performances in art and music for people who are ill, museums and concerts as healing.

Chapter Nine, How artists use art to heal, How artists and musicians heal themselves, others, and the earth, the artist's stories, artists healing themselves with art, music and dance, artists healing other people, the artist as a healer, artists healing their community, artists healing the earth.

Chapter Ten, Conclusion: Art and healing are one, they resonate the body, mind and spirit, art is transformational to us, others, and the earth, art as a healing force, the future of art and healing, making yourself into a healing artist, changing your life.