Looking Up Wellness

Therapeutic Art For Patients

Looking Up Wellness is a public service for local hospitals, long term care, hospices, and at home patients. It provides therapeutic wellness paintings that mount over patient beds, and are created by a licensed art therapist. The paintings emulate skylights, charge by light and glow in the dark, providing the patient with 24/7 aid.

 

This public service addresses the current need of easing the psychological distress of anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness for the patient and the caretaker. Research shows that patients who have art to view heal faster, need less pain medication, feel safer, and experience less anxiety and depression. When a patient feels safe, the nervous system is calm, and allows the body to focus less on survival and more on healing.

 

Energetic studies of artwork supports that a hand painted work provides an “energetic companion” for the patient, and reminds the patient they are not alone. The law of conservation of energy applies here; energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. Research confirms that the intention of serenity and love that the artist holds is transferred and delivered to whomever views the work.  A digital printed work would not hold this same energy or provide the same benefit to the patient. The paintings glow at night, addressing the need of the patients who experience anxiety and depression’s expression of sleep disturbances.

 

Additionally, the wellness paintings offer an opportunity for loved ones to bond with the patient, serving as a talking point and shared experience. The painting can stand as a representation for the patient’s triumph in recovery and healing. If the painting is above a bed in hospice, it can also be an image the family can cherish, standing as a memory for their loved one. Research shows that family caretaker’s symptoms are eased when the patients symptoms are eased. The current need of increased continuity of care after hospice care is addressed because a print of the wellness painting is provided to take home to aid in the grieving process. 

 

The presence of artwork in hospitals also improves staff morale, which can in tern improve the quality of care in any hospital, long term care, or recovery setting. Studies on the brain while looking at artwork show that viewing art gives the same pleasure as being in love. Therapeutic wellness paintings provide a sense of safety, love, and companionship for a patient which aids in healing and/or comfort during the end-of-life process. More in depth research is written below and can also be viewed in the research video below.

Charges by Light!

(Any Sunlight or indoor light)

Glows at Night

(Glow lasts the entire night)

How and Why it Helps

  • Patients who have art in their hospital rooms recover faster, need less pain medication, experience less anxiety and depression, feel more comforted, and perceive their stay more positively as a higher quality of care. 
  • Art allows patients to have “positive distraction” from their condition either bringing one back to the present moment or allowing them to daydream and get “lost” in the image.
  • Art of open spaces in nature with no threatening weather or animals are most soothing to us from a biological perspective; they feel safe. Safety allows our physiology to work less on survival and more on healing and experiencing a calm mental state. 
  • Viewing art can give one the same feeling of love due to the release of dopamine.  
  • Other research suggests that hand painted art can connect with the viewer energetically and allows them to feel safer, like having an energetic friend; they aren’t alone. The energy from the artist’s hand is carried over into the painting creating a unique aura (energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred). 
  • The presence of hand painted artwork can expand one’s consciousness through “embodied cognition.” This can potentially occur when the viewer fires the same neurons as the artist did when they created it, thus making new neural pathways and stimulating a state of inspiration. 
  • The presence of artwork strengthens bonding, often serving as a talking point for conversation. Each piece becomes a shared experience for everyone who visits or is in the room with the patient.   
  • The artwork holds sentimental value and can be a symbol of the loved one’s experience (hospice) or for the personal accomplishment of strength of the patient who has recovered. 
  • If a loved one has passed,  a print of the wellness painting can aid in the grieving process, standing as a shared experience and memory of their last days. 
  • A greater continuity of care is provided to the family following the hospice/hospital stay by having a print of the painting to bring home. The print could be delivered by familiar hospice/hospital staff with the artist. 
  • Because the caregiver(s) burden directly correlates to the patient’s burden, decreasing the patient’s psychological symptoms means decreasing the caregiver’s psychological symptoms (i.e. anxiety and depression).
  • Artwork improves staff morale aiding in a more effective environment for everyone.
  • Healthcare facilities can adopt a more holistic model by addressing the spiritual aspect of patients by incorporating wellness art. Art is a spiritual conduit that is able to hold what words cannot express. The piece is now a physical representation of the last moments shared.
  • Wellness paintings are therapeutic when they glow at night during the time patients are experiencing anxiety or depression as insomnia or sleep disturbances. Patients no longer have to stare at a blank white ceiling.
  • Care facilities increase their attractiveness to potential patients and stand out from the rest.
  • Wellness paintings are fireproof, created on thin sheets of light-weight carbon stainless steel. Fire retardant paint that is designed for nursing homes and hospitals is used. Typical drop ceiling tiles are replaced by paintings of the same size. Paintings can also be mounted on drywall ceiling joists and weigh less than a small standard light fixture. 
  •  

Who Benefits

Any patient in a clinical or home setting who is experiencing extensive hours in bed, or undergoing procedure while on their backs (physical or therapeutic). Patients in long or short term recovery (from physical/mental struggles, or addictions), senior living, or hospice care.

Senior Living Care

Hospice and Palliative Care

Rehabilitation Centers

Mental Health/Psychiatric Hospitals

Medical Hospitals including Obstetrics and Gynecology/ Labor and Delivery/Intensive Care Units

Family Planning Clinics

Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Offices

Acupuncture Facilities

Dentist Offices

Patient Homes

What History Tells Us

  • Art incorporated in hospital settings is not new, and dates to the Middle Ages. El Greco, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt are among some of the artists who were commissioned for this purpose.   Often these images addressed the mind and spirit of the patients. 
  • During the Great Depression, murals in hospitals were commissioned by the US government.
  • During the recent pandemic, murals and art in hospitals have also been increased. Humans are craving a more comforting medical model after the fear and seriousness of the pandemic.
  • Neuroaesthetics is a scientific study examining the brain while one contemplates a work of art. It involves measuring brain activity using technology like fMRI machine while subject view art. It seems our innate intelligence has supported this concept for centuries. We have known that art provides great comfort in our most vulnerable times, and now we have the technology to confirm this
  • Our history supports this continued effort to provide a sense of comfort in our most vulnerable times.

Research Video

References

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013. P. 161, 222 

 

Bates, V. (2018). ‘Humanizing’ healthcare environments: architecture, art and design in modern hospitals. Design for Health, 2(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/24735132.2018.1436304 

 

Beauty and the Brain: An Interview With the Father of Neuroesthetics, Semir Zeki — Part One. (2015, September 29). HuffPost.     https://www.huffpost.com/entry/beauty-and-the-brain-an-i_b_8197890  

 

Cirino, Erica. “Depression in the Face of a Terminal Illness and Death.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 Mar. 2012, www.healthline.com/health/depression/terminal-illness#symptoms. 

 

Conservation of energy – New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). www.newworldencyclopedia.org.  

 

Davis, A. A., & Davis, M. P. (2010). Art in medicine and the art of grief. Progress in Palliative 

  Care, 18(5), 266–269.  

https://doi.org/10.1179/096992610X12775428636908 

 

Fine, Robert L. “Depression, Anxiety, and Delirium in the Terminally Ill Patient.” Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center), vol. 14, no. 2, 2001, pp. 130–3, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1291326/. 

 

Finestone, A. J., & Inderwies, G. (2008). Death and dying in the US: the barriers to the benefits of palliative and hospice care. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 3(3), 595–599.   https://doi.org/10.2147/cia.s2811 

 

Conservation of energy – New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Www.newworldencyclopedia.org. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Conservation_of_energy 

 

https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/author/andrew-robinson. (2013, July 2). Walter Benjamin: Art, Aura and Authenticity. Ceasefire Magazine. https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/walter-benjamin-art-aura-authenticity/  

 

Holland, K. (2023, January 9). Considering Value of Original Vs. Printed Art [Email: Considering Value of Original Vs. Printed Art].  

 

Hospital Rooms | Healing Arts. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFnTqIaDiU4 

 

Kozlov E, Phongtankuel V, Prigerson H, Adelman R, Shalev A, Czaja S, Dignam R, Baughn R, Reid MC. Prevalence, Severity, and Correlates of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression at the Very End of Life. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2019 Jul;58(1):80-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.04.012. Epub 2019 Apr 17. PMID: 31004771; PMCID:  PMC6726373.  

 

Lankston, L., Cusack, P., Fremantle, C., & Isles, C. (2010). Visual art in hospitals: case studies and review of the evidence. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 103(12), 490–499. https://doi.org/10.1258/jrsm.2010.100256 

 

Law M, Karulkar N, Broadbent E. Evidence for the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes: a scoping review. BMJ Open. 2021 Jun 30;11(6):e043549. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043549. PMID: 34193477; PMCID: PMC8246362. 

 

Lecture 13 – Design Guidelines for Homes, Offices, Classrooms, and Hospitals. (n.d.). www.youtube.com. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from www.youtube.com/watch ?v=fw2TigLITN8&list=PLA2E69FC89640C272&index=13 

  

Lecture 15 – Natural Environments and Restorative Settings. (n.d.). www.youtube.comm. Retrieved February 22, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wepK7Xt0O0&list=PLA2E69FC89640C272&index=15  

 

Nielsen, S. L., Fich, L. B., Roessler, K. K., & Mullins, M. F. (2017). How do patients actually experience and use art in hospitals? The significance of interaction: a user-oriented experimental case study. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well- Being, 12(1), 1267343. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2016.1267343  

 

‌‌Magsamen, S. (2019). Your Brain on Art: The Case for Neuroaesthetics. Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7075503/  

 

Miller, M. F., & Kravits, K. (2013). Nurses’ Use of Art in Hospice Settings. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 15(1), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1097/njh.0b013e31827ce345  

 

Paras, K. (2023, January 10). Art Created by Human Hands Vs. Mechanical Means [Email: Art Created by Human Hands Vs. Mechanical Means].  

 

Phillips, R. (2015, May 13). Art Enhances Brain Function and Well-Being. Healing-Power-of- Art.org. https://www.healing-power-of-art.org/art-and-the-brain/  

 

Reynolds, K., Henderson, M., Schulman, A., & Hanson, L. C. (2002). Needs of the dying in nursing homes. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 5(6), 895–901. https://doi.org/10.1089/10966210260499087 

 

Rollins, J. (2021). “Purpose-built” Art in Hospitals. Emerald Group Publishing. 

 

Selami Cifter, A., & Cifter, M. (2017). A Review on Future Directions in Hospital Spatial Designs with a Focus on Patient Experience. The Design Journal, 20(sup1), S1998– S2009. https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1352719  

 

‌Sima, R. (2020, May 14). How Art Brings Humanity and Healing to the Patient’s Bedside. International Arts + Mind Lab: The Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics. https://www.artsandmindlab.org/how-art-brings-humanity-and-healing-to-the-patients-  bedside/ 

 

Tabler, J., Utz, R. L., Ellington, L., Reblin, M., Caserta, M., Clayton, M., & Lund, D. (2015). Missed Opportunity: Hospice Care and the Family. Journal of Social Work in End-of- Life & Palliative Care, 11(3–4), 224–243. https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2015.1108896  

 

The Great Reflection Summit. (n.d.). Jackson, Laura Lynne. “Accessing The Other Side.” Www.greatreflectionsummit.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from 

https://www.greatreflectionsummit.com/products/great-reflectionsummit/categories/2153098815/posts/2175194441 

 

WATCH: Looking At Art Gives The Same Pleasure As Being In Love. (2011, May 18). HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/falling-in-love-with-art_n_861812  

 

Zhang, Y., Tzortzopoulos, P., & Kagioglou, M. (2018). Healing built-environment effects on health outcomes: environment–occupant–health framework. Building Research & Information, 47(6), 747–766. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2017.1411130 

 

In-text citation: (K. Holland, personal communication, January 9, 2023)  

(K. Paras, personal communication, January 10, 2023)