Art therapy

Expressing feelings is known to help relieve some of the negative emotions that are experienced by people with serious illnesses such as mesothelioma. In art therapy the therapist or teacher helps you communicate feelings such as fear or anger through painting, drawing or modeling. By being creative, we humans can sometimes become aware of pent-up feelings and release them to be discussed, if appropriate, in counseling or group sessions.

You do not need to be able to paint or draw well. The therapist will show you how to be spontaneous and make doodles. He or she may actually ask you to 'draw your cancer' or paint a picture of you with your family. Art therapy can be fun and offers a unique approach to dealing with unhappy and distressing experiences.