Wellness
Required Resources
Art in the Moment: Evaluating a Therapeutic Wellness Program for People With Dementia and Their Care Partners This article looks at a wellness program in Chicago that was designed to give therapy to Alzheimer’s patients and discovered that patients’ interaction with art helped elevate their moods and engagement. As you read this article, consider the following questions:
· How did this program leverage art to help patients? What was the problem it was trying to solve?
· How could this solution help patients with other diagnoses?
Transforming Pain Into Beauty: On Art, Healing, and Care for the Spirit This article looks at how art can be used by spiritual caregivers as a form of healing for patients and their families. As you read this article, consider the following questions:
· Health of spirit is one of the eight dimensions of wellness. How does this article propose using art for healing this dimension?
· How could this practice help people with healing from other kinds of traumas?
Video: A Darwinian Theory of Beauty (15:19) In this TED Talk, Denis Dutton discusses an aesthetic of beauty and recognizing universal attributes versus those influenced by culture. Note: Some of the imagery used in this video reflects historical perceptions that viewers may find offensive. As you watch this video, consider the following questions:
· In what way is beauty related to human evolution?
· How does culture influence our value of beauty?
· Do you agree with Dutton’s claim? Why or why not?
Additional Support (Optional)
The Stress-Reducing Effects of Art in Pediatric Health Care: Art Preferences of Healthy Children and Hospitalized Children This short article looks at using art to help the healing of children who are patients in hospitals. You will want to download the PDF version of this resource. As you read this article, consider the following questions:
· How can art help reduce stress in children who are patients?
· How could this practice help people who are experiencing other forms of stress?
American Art Therapy Association This is the website of the nonprofit professional organization dedicated to the growth and development of the art therapy profession. You can find resources here that explain what art therapy is and how it can be used professionally. As you visit this website, consider the following questions:
· What are advantages or disadvantages of art therapy in elevating personal wellness?
· What are some applications you can think of for incorporating elements of art therapy into your chosen profession?
Welcome to Module Four! In this module, we continue our exploration of wellness through the four general education lenses and the humanities, with a focus on art and culture. When an artist creates a work of art, the tendency is to create a product that relates to what they know. The people, places, behaviors, values, and things are all drawn from their own experiences, although perhaps altered depending on the imaginative spin the artist puts on them. The way that people, places, or things are portrayed reflects the artist’s attitudes and may be fundamentally different from our own.
Throughout history, there have been different ideas about the various aspects of wellness. For example, at different times in history, the concept of physical beauty has often been related to ideas regarding health and ideal physical form. These ideals are then expressed in the popular art forms of the time, creating a cultural feedback loop about what defines beauty. This is just one example of the relationship between humanities and wellness, but the humanities encompass more than just art. They include literature, music, and philosophy as well. There are many examples you can find; therefore, in this module, you will be encouraged to explore the areas of the humanities that you are most interested in and relate your findings to the eight dimensions of wellness model.
You may know the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but have you considered what inspires your own ideals of beauty? While there is a valid argument for a biological influence for our beauty ideals, there is also an aesthetic that is influenced by the arts and culture. In other words, our personal tastes and our cultural values collaboratively influence our beauty aesthetic. The TED Talk posted in the module resources discusses the relationship between human evolution and a concept of beauty and how these influence the development of art.
For further examples of the relationship between the humanities and wellness, you will read a few articles about how art can be used to promote wellness in different groups. The creation of art has been found to be a therapeutic practice that can help promote healthy living or can ease the symptoms of a terminal or debilitating disease.
Review the overview of the humanities lens from the Four Lenses document that you reviewed in Module One, and reflect on your favorite artistic or creative artifacts (movies, video games, fandoms, etc.). How do they shape your attitudes toward others and wellness? How have your attitudes changed over time as you’ve tried or experienced new things? How does interacting with artistic artifacts from another culture also shift your perspectives?
4-2 Final Project Milestone Two: Analyzing an Issue or Event in Wellness Through the Lenses of History and the Humanities
Instructions
For this second milestone, you will analyze your issue or event in wellness through the first two lenses introduced in this course: history and the humanities. This will provide you with a chance to practice analyzing your issue or event through these lenses. You will receive feedback on this practice attempt.
To complete this assignment, review the prompt and grading rubric in the Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric PDF document.