I am Christopher Dowrick, a (mostly) retired university professor and family doctor with a longstanding interest in mental health. I also have a lifelong passion for the creative arts. I’ve found them to be powerfully therapeutic, both at a personal level, and in conversations with patients.
Life can be wonderful. But sometimes we can find ourselves in difficulty.
Like Munch’s The Scream, we may find everything spinning out of control, and chaos threatening to overwhelm us. We may become exhausted or stressed, depressed or angry. We may be filled with despair and hopelessness. We may worry that it is somehow all our own fault. We may wonder how much more we can take, and even whether it is worth carrying on. It can all be so dark.
There are many ways in which we can look for solutions to these heartfelt concerns. Some people find calmness through simple breathing exercises or meditation. Others talk things over with trusted family and friends. Some seek professional support from therapists or family doctors, or legal help from solicitors or the police. For some a proactive political approach works best.
But what if these don’t provide enough? Where else can we look?
We can find help in the creative arts.
Engaging with arts such as music, painting, sculpture, literature and poetry improves our health and wellbeing when we are faced with life’s difficulties. It expresses, shares and transforms our distress and despair.
I invite you to join me in exploring how the creative arts help us to live more comfortably in this bizarre and complicated world.
To find the crack in the darkness and let the light back in.
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen, Anthem
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