Can visual arts help us better understand chronic pain patients?
Those who work with people who have chronic pain may not always understand what they are going through. Even if they try to explain it, they may not have the words to articulate it all. The good thing is that some people are turning to art to help make a difference in this area. Art, as we know, can often convey things that words cannot, and it is being used to help people with chronic pain, as well as help those who work with them gain a better understanding of what they are experiencing.
In the May 2024 issue of the Canadian Journal of Pain, researchers used an arts-based approach to chronic pain (1). They report that arts-based research is an emerging approach and refers to the use of any type of art. They looked at 14 articles published on the topic, with studies that included people ages 16 to 79. The art-based modalities included drawing/sketching, photos, painting, keeping a pain diary, observing and creating visual arts, and multimodal art workshops.
When people participate in art-based approaches, they find that it gives them a way to share what they are feeling. This helps others to better understand what they are experiencing with the chronic pain, and gives the pain management team more direction for constructing an intervention. Many people also feel it helps validate the experience.
Rationales for using this type of chronic pain management approach include sharing insightful knowledge, giving people a chance to be creatively expressive, providing an opportunity to go beneath the verbal layer of communication, and facilitating a deeper understanding of the impact of one’s chronic pain experience. Using art in various ways gives people a way to express what they are experiencing, which can be highly beneficial for those who find it difficult to share the information or verbalize it in a meaningful way.
Researchers conclude that although there are wide variations to it being used, arts-based approaches in this area being used to help better understand and share information about chronic pain is unanimously supported. It helps people to better understand the chronic pain patients they are working with.
This information is helpful for those who provide chronic pain management and those who suffer from chronic pain. It allows the patient to have a way to share their experience, and the clinicians to have a way to gain more insight as to what they feel, so they can use that information to provide a meaningful treatment path. Those who feel this type of approach would be beneficial should discuss the options for incorporating it.
Source:
Canadian Journal of Pain. The use of Arts-Based Research in Chronic Pain. May 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11195486/
