Momentum - Summer 2013

HealthyLiving

mood or help you relax, while drumming can release pent-up anger, says Donna Washington, associate professor and coordinator of the music therapy program at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Washington is a classically
trained singer who was diagnosed
with MS 22 years ago. “Making
music was the only thing that
saved me during my bouts of
depression,” she says. “Music
gives me beauty, strengthens me
and gives me power. And it’s
inexpensive and I don’t have to
do much to get it.”
Washington says that music has
physical benefits as well. Walking
while singing creates a rhythm
that can help improve gait, she
says, while remembering words
and melodies can boost attention
span. What’s more, MRI scans of
healthy people show that singing
affects parts of the brain that help
with memory and speaking and
that are not otherwise easily
accessed.

Art for yourself—and others You don’t have to be a professional, or have formal training, to benefit from art—or for others to benefit from your creations. Matt, a guidance counselor in Westchester County, N.Y., who asked that his last name not be used, began hiking and photographing scenery soon after he was diagnosed with MS in 2007. He donates the proceeds from the sale of his photographs to advance MS research. “Even though it

sucks that I have MS, this keeps me from getting down and makes me think I can actually do some good,” he says.

Jennifer Schwartz Wright, a
board-certified art therapist and
interim director of the Art
Therapy Studio in Cleveland, says
the act of creation helps people
with MS in four key ways. First,
it gives a sense of control. “Every
decision people make in their
artwork is their own, which is
very empowering when they
have losses due to illness,” she
says. It also helps people express
themselves without words, which
Wright says can be an incredible
release. In addition, “art materials
are nourishing and beautiful and
tactile—the opportunity to touch
and manipulate them stimulates
the senses,” she says. And finally,
creating art gives people the
opportunity to interact with
others, who may have had similar
experiences.

The power of the group

“The social component of art therapy can’t be underestimated,” Dr. Thomas says. While creating art in isolation can produce all of the benefits shown in studies, art therapy groups like those offered by the National MS Society add another dimension.

Michelle Keating, RN, who helps coordinate the Society’s Creative Art Experience Talk MS Group in St. Louis, says the group’s monthly meetings are as much about socialization and discussing the challenges and solutions of living with MS as they are about art. “The advantage

TOMORROW—A MANTRA poem by Mary Pettigrew Tomorrow...

Tomorrow...

Breathing will come easier, smiles of happiness overcome my face Crying tears will be those brought from joy, I'll know that love will once again find a proper place.

If I tell these things to myself, will my fear subside?

Tomorrow...

I'll get out of bed and shower, I'll put on something pretty to wear I'll leave the comforting hideout of my house, bathe in sunlight, inhale fresh air.