Can art therapy break into the mainstream?
“Around the world, arts therapies have seen success for a range of conditions, such as improving mobility in people with Parkinson’s. These ‘art for health’ initiatives use activities, such as choir rehearsals or museum visits, as add-on therapies to help treat, and raise awareness of, both physical and mental conditions. But critics of the practice believe it needs more robust evaluation — and a clear definition of what counts as ‘art’ — before it’s adopted as a standard treatment. “We have more to gain by leaning into the arts as a health resource than we have to lose,” argues drama therapist Nisha Sajnani.” Nature Briefing, 29 May 2025

Nature Medicine, 16 May 2025

A health boost from the arts

As momentum grows to enlist the arts for better health, critics ask whether the practice is getting ahead of the evidence.

Most people now accept that getting enough sleep, eating well and exercising are good for their health. Could the arts soon be seen in a similar way, as a health behavior? The proponents of ‘art for health’ think so. In practice, that could mean a hip replacement followed by dance lessons alongside physical therapy, or joining a choir to help treat breathing problems. In most cases, art would be an add-on, not a replacement for more-traditional care.