Gifts From Within: Patient Art From Retreat Healthcare to Open October 5, 2007

September 26, 2007

Brattleboro, VT – Gifts from Within: Patient Art from the Brattleboro Retreat will open Friday October 5, 2007 during Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk. The exhibit will be at the Hooker Dunham Gallery throughout October. Throughout its history, the Brattleboro Retreat has recognized the arts as an important aspect of life and a significant part of the treatment of mental illness and addictive disorders. Today, the Brattleboro Retreat continues to value the arts as therapy and as an essential instrument for the formation and expression of personality.

People often wonder, how can coloring and drawing help people with mental illness or addiction? At the Brattleboro Retreat, we believe that engaging in the creative process allows people to express themselves beyond words. Many participants report an improved mood, lower anxiety, better organization and focus, increased energy, and increased self awareness and confidence. All of this has lasting psychological benefits. Art making can offer benefits from both the process of creating and through the personal significance of the product.

Art therapy is an experiential process that offers an opportunity to look at what just happened during art making and transferring the learning to current difficulties at home. An example is when a participant surprises themselves by creating something they feel proud in spite of tremendous self doubt. This experience can help them to manage an anxiety provoking moment at home more effectively.

This art show is intended to honor our clients’ creative process and share with the viewer the power of artistic expression in the healing process.

Gifts from Within is held in October in recognition of October as Mental Health Awareness Month. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a not-for-profit, regional specialty mental health and addictions treatment center, providing a full range of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation services for individuals of all ages and their families. Nationally recognized for its premiere treatment in behavioral healthcare, the Brattleboro Retreat offers a high quality, individualized, comprehensive continuum of care including inpatient, partial hospitalization, residential and outpatient treatment. For more information on Retreat services, call 1-800-RETREAT.

PDF flyer for art show