In Pakistan, over 30% of people suffer from anxiety or depression, according to WHO estimates. But many suffer silently, especially in rural and traditional households. Talking about emotional pain is still taboo in most families. This is where art therapy offers a quiet, powerful solution. You don’t have to speak, you just need a color, a brush, or a pencil.
Let’s explore how art becomes medicine, and what trained art therapists in South Asia say about the process, power, and hope it brings.
What Is Art Therapy and Why It Works
Art therapy is more than drawing. It’s a professional therapeutic practice where a person uses art materials to express thoughts and feelings, often things too painful or confusing to say out loud.
You don’t need to be an artist. Art therapy focuses on the process, not perfection. Whether you paint a messy landscape or scribble on paper, your creation speaks about what’s going on inside.
This method helps people of all ages:
Children with trauma or learning difficulties
Teenagers struggling with stress or identity
Adults facing grief, depression, or PTSD
Cancer patients, refugees, or survivors of abuse
Psychological benefit: The act of making art activates the brain’s limbic system, helping us regulate emotions and build resilience. A study from Drexel University (2016) showed that even 45 minutes of art-making reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels in most people, regardless of artistic experience.
How Does Art Therapy Promote Healing?
There’s something very human about creating. From ancient cave paintings to modern murals, people have always turned to art in moments of joy, fear, or confusion.
So what makes art healing?
1. It Bypasses the Critical Brain
When we speak, our logical brain filters everything. But when we draw or paint, the subconscious gets involved. Without words, emotions like fear, anger, shame, and grief begin to surface safely.
2. It Makes Emotions Visible
Art gives shape to feelings. A blue swirl might represent sadness. A broken clay figure might reflect trauma. Clients often realize something only after seeing it visually.
3. It Builds Control
Choosing colors, making marks, and changing shapes gives the creator control, something often lost during trauma. That small sense of agency begins the recovery.
4. It Calms the Nervous System
Art is repetitive, sensory, and soothing. It slows the heart rate and breath. This physical calmness opens space for emotional insight.
In many South Asian families where emotional discussion is discouraged, art allows expression in a culturally respectful way.
Inside the Therapy Room: What Art Therapists Do
A trained art therapist is not just someone who gives you a brush and leaves the room. They are trained in psychology, counseling, and human behavior, as well as artistic expression.
Their Role Includes:
Providing safe materials suited to a person’s age, trauma level, or mood
Observing the process, not just the final drawing
Not interpreting too early , instead, asking “What does this feel like to you?”
Helping reflect on what the colors, shapes, and themes might reveal
Tracking changes over time , is the client more expressive, more relaxed?
One Pakistani therapist shared:
“A boy who had lost his father didn’t speak for weeks. But when I gave him clay, he started molding small figures. Each week, his figures became more complex and expressive. Through them, he shared his loss, piece by piece.”
Presence matters. Especially in grief, PTSD, or childhood trauma, the therapist becomes a gentle, supportive witness.
Stories from the Studio: Therapist Interviews and Case Reflections
We spoke with three certified art therapists from Pakistan and India who work with different age groups. Their stories show how small acts of creativity open deep paths of healing.
Therapist: Aisha Khan (Lahore) – Works with Children
Case: 7-year-old girl, trauma after domestic abuse
Method: Scribble drawing with oil pastels
Result:
“She drew a big black circle with red spikes and called it ‘the scary ball.’ Over weeks, the red changed to blue, and the spikes became petals. She smiled when she called it her ‘safe flower.’ That’s when I knew the therapy was working.”
Therapist: Raj Malhotra (Delhi) – Works with Teens
Case: Teenage boy with social anxiety
Method: Mixed media collage
Result:
“Instead of talking about his fear, he used magazine cutouts to show how the world ‘looks at him.’ In the collage, eyes were everywhere. That opened the door to discussions about bullying, pressure, and fear of failure.”
Therapist: Sana Fatima (Karachi) – Adult Trauma Specialist
Case: Woman healing after emotional neglect
Method: Clay modeling and storytelling
Result:
“She built a home from clay, small, cracked, and dark. Then she added light windows and painted flowers on the walls. She said, ‘Now it’s a place where I can breathe.’ That metaphor meant she finally felt safe inside herself.”
Why South Asia Needs More Art Therapists
Mental health care in Pakistan and neighboring countries is still underdeveloped. Most therapists are in big cities. Fewer than 1 out of every 100 schools in rural areas has a counselor, let alone an art therapist.
Art therapy can fill an urgent gap:
Language barrier: Many clients can’t express trauma in words
Emotional shame: Talking about feelings is still taboo, especially for men
Child-friendly: Kids often express through symbols, not sentences
Cultural flexibility: Art adapts to different religious, family, and social contexts
But certified professionals are few. Most families don’t know that drawing a picture can be as helpful as talking to a counselor, sometimes even more.
There’s a real need to:
Offer basic training in art therapy to teachers, social workers, and NGOs
Create online modules in Urdu and Hindi for beginner emotional art sessions
Normalize creative therapy in schools, hospitals, and community centers
How to Try Art Therapy for Yourself or Your Child
Even if you can’t find an art therapist nearby, there are safe, helpful ways to use art as emotional support.
For Adults:
Keep an art journal: Draw your feelings daily with color or symbols
Use colors for moods: For example, red = frustration, blue = calm
Try free scribbling with your eyes closed for 5 minutes
Reflect: What surprised you in the drawing?
For Children:
Give freedom, don’t correct or judge their art
Ask open questions: “What’s happening in this picture?”
Use finger painting or clay to release energy
Let them use symbols (hearts, monsters, houses) without pressure
Important Tip: Never push a child to “explain” their drawing too soon. The goal is safety and emotional release, not explanation.
When Art Becomes a Voice
In a world where silence is often seen as strength, art becomes the brave whisper of the soul. It allows people to feel without fear, to say without speaking, and to heal without shame.
For our South Asian readers, from Karachi to Kolkata, from Dhaka to Delhi, art therapy is more than a Western idea. It is a deeply human one. One that connects beautifully with our culture, our colors, and our need for expression in safe, sacred spaces.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, therapist, or someone just carrying quiet pain, remember: you don’t need the right words to heal, just a place to create.
TL;DR
Art therapy uses creative expression to support mental healing, especially for those who struggle to speak about emotions. It helps reduce stress, process trauma, and build emotional clarity. Interviews with South Asian therapists reveal its deep impact on children, teens, and adults alike. Even without a professional, basic art practices at home can bring emotional release and resilience.
Imran Shahzad, M.Sc. Psychology (BZU, 2012), shares real-world mental health tips and emotional guidance in simple English for everyday South Asian readers.