Emotional Wellness: Emotional Healing for Artists

Artists are human beings first of all and can be emotionally wounded in all of the ways that human beings can be wounded, by a lack of early love and solid attachments, by early abuse and criticism, by tormenting parents, siblings, friends, or teachers—in all the human ways. This emotional wounding produces serious emotional distress and all sorts of unwanted physical and psychological symptoms. This is the human story.

In addition, artists are often emotionally wounded in unique and characteristic ways. Their early efforts may be criticized. Their very artistic nature may be criticized as impractical, snobbish, effete, and attacked as an affront to “real” working men and women everywhere. Or, on the other hand, their creative efforts may be praised, but in such a way that the young artist begins to think that she is loved, if at all, only for what she can do and not for who she is. Both a lack of support and a certain kind of “praise instead of genuine love” can hurt.

There are so many remarkably sound things that artists can try to reduce their experience of emotional distress and heal their emotional wounds. There are ceremonies to engage in, cognitive switches to make, healing rituals to inaugurate, coping strategies to learn, and much more.

with Dr. Eric Maisel