Bøker i Arts for Health-serien

Can reading literature really help our mental health? This book shows how and why,not by instruction or prescription, but by emotion and exploration. Offering case histories of individual readers and reading groups, the authors showcase the health and wellbeing benefits which come from our access to written human stories and imagined situations

Humans have engaged in theatre for at least 50,000 years for good reason: it builds social connections, provides opportunities to learn, and creates meaning through storytelling. Perhaps most importantly, it is an enjoyable, and therefore self-reinforcing, activity. Theatre offers readers an introduction to the role that theatre plays in health and wellbeing, and provides guidance on how to incorporate it into professional health and social care environments, community spaces, and the family home. The book provides an overview of the current evidence demonstrating the effects of theatre on specific domains of health and wellbeing, including mental health, physical health, and public health, as well as its impacts on the education of health and social care professionals. Case studies illustrate the broad range of applied theatre methods currently in use across the human lifespan - from bedside theatre performed for children in hospital to theatre workshops for people living with dementia and theatre-based interpersonal communication training for medical students. Theatre also delivers plenty of practical advice on how to bring theatre into health and social care environments, including step-by-step instructions for specific activities, insights into potential barriers, and (most importantly) strategies needed to overcome them with empathy, collaboration, and creativity. This volume will be useful to professionals working in health and social care settings, as well as to theatre artists and educators who already are or who would like to work in health or social care settings with special populations.

This book provides an overview of the current evidence demonstrating the positive impact singing has on our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Including case studies that illustrate the power of singing, it also discusses potential barriers for singing and the strategies needed to overcome them in personal, cultural and societal contexts.

Drawings are everywhere. Daubed on ancient cave walls and projected on screens. Drawings helps us describe science, depict emotions and discover. Yet many of us laid aside drawing - or more simply, mark-making - in childhood, thereby losing a rich and varied way to tell our stories.

Drawing on case histories and academic research, Film argues that on-screen storytelling is the most ubiquitous form for art to intersect with health and well-being. The book shows how film can be utilized and enjoyed by clinicians, individuals and carers, by societies themselves and as a tool for fighting the stigma of illness.

Photography is ubiquitous. The visual image is the predominant form of communication. This book explores the myriad ways in which photographs can be used: to document events, places or things; to consolidate personal identity; to pose a challenge to an idea or regime; to animate the inanimate.

At the heart of Music are powerful examples from the lives of real individuals, families, and populations. These stories cover a myriad of ages, instruments, situations, and purposes, to convey the universal power of music to help us all get more out of life.

Exploring the potential for storytelling as a creative practice for health and well-being, Michael Wilson considers how the art form might help us reconsider the power relationships in healthcare contexts and restore agency to patients, in partnership with medical professionals.Storytelling is explored not simply as a means of conveying information and experience from one person to another but as an act of listening, a process for thinking, evaluating and understanding. Wilson reflects on his over thirty of years of researching and practising storytelling, and blends his experience with a collection of case studies representing diverse approaches to storytelling for health, including theatre, stand-up comedy, writing, visual arts and digital storytelling. Most importantly, storytelling is approached not from the point of view of the medical practitioner or educator, or even the patient, but through the lens of those who tell stories as a creative and everyday practice. It is a book with the storyteller at its core.

Join magician, author, and psychologist Richard Wiseman as he journeys into the secretive world of magic and uncovers the surprising therapeutic and educational benefits of making the impossible possible.

Providing a radical rethink that integrates tattoos and other body modifications within health, wellbeing, and positive psychology, this book disrupts the narrative of stigmatisation that so often surrounds these practices to welcome a broader discussion of the benefits they can offer.

As TikTokers, YouTubers and traditional artists continue to reimagine the video form, this book explores the value of this medium within medical practice and patient care, as well as everyday creative expression.

Easily digestible for even the busiest of readers, this book serves as a succinct, engaging, and informative guide on how the practice of painting can help improve or maintain health and wellbeing, both within and outside of professional settings.

History has been a source of cultural fascination since ancient times, however little attention has been paid to its potential as a positive force for health and wellbeing, at least until now. Presenting the benefits of historical engagement, and practical tips for making the most of it, Anna Greenwood considers the power this discipline has to spur better health outcomes. A ground-breaking work for history buffs and healthcare providers alike, this new instalment in the Arts for Health series by one of the leading scholars in modern health history advocates for history‿s ability to deepen sympathies, broaden imaginations, and create community beyond the customary restrictions of time and geography.