Art ~Health
arts4 mental health
Dance~Well
BGF2030
Arts 4 Health
~ ecosomatic art practices in health_care settings
Art practice enables interactive, participative, and integrative learning opportunities,
supports health in general, and the wellbeing through multi-sensorial experiences and variety of expressional forms, and integrative learning opportunities that are accessible and understandable for all people. Art practice supports, among other things, health in general, and the development of mindful relationships with the natural and social environment and thus contributes to sensitivity to violence and a sense of social responsibility. The first comprehensive report
on evidence of Arts for health has been launched by the World Health Organisation Europe (WHO) in 2019:
“The examples cited in this groundbreaking WHO report show ways in which the arts can tackle ‘wicked’ or complex health challenges such as diabetes, obesity and mental ill health. They consider health and well-being in a broader societal and community context, and offer solutions that common medical practice has so far been unable to address effectively,”
Dr. Östlin explains.
Mental health is the basis for holistic well-being.
By means of simple, short and yet effective exercise sequences, health can be supported every day and thus well-being can be increased and much more.
Primary prevention helps to avoid and reduce known risk factors.
Where to start?
According to the results of an international survey conducted by UNICEF
and the Gallup Institute, in 21 countries in the summer of 2021, 19 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 often feel depressed.
A separate UNICEF analysis for Europe reveals the extent of youth mental health problems in Europe. Nine million young people between the ages of 10 and 19 live here with a mental illness, i.e. 16.3 percent. Suicide is the second leading cause of death.
Anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses in Europe - more than half (55%) of all mental illnesses are related to anxiety or depression (for girls it is even more than 70%).
In Austria the situation is even more dramatic. In this country, 18.2 percent of the 10-19- year -olds suffer from mental health problems. That's almost 160,000 young people in Austria. 24% of children and adolescents in Austria show at least symptoms of a mental illness in the course of their young lives. These include suicidal thoughts, non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour, depression, anxiety, compulsive behaviour and aggression.´
What causes have been identified for this?
´Cardiovascular diseases
are among the most common diseases worldwide. They are the most frequent cause of death in western countries with around 45 percent and in developing countries with around 25 percent of all deaths. Around 17.3 million people worldwide die every year as a result of cardiovascular disease. In Austria, cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in women over 65 and men over 45, with 47 percent of women and 38 percent of men citing cardiovascular diseases as the cause of death. The gender differences are based on both biological and psychosocial differences.´
´According to research results from MedUni Vienna, arterial hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.
However, this clinical picture can already begin in childhood and lead to complications at an early stage.'
However, while primary hypertension occurs in 1.4 percent of normal-weight and 7.1 percent of overweight adolescents, the proportion increases to 25 percent in obese teenagers. "In particular, the abdominal fat associated with an increased abdominal circumference is associated with high blood pressure and early diseases of the cardiovascular system," reports
Susanne Greber-Platzer, Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at MedUni Vienna.
In addition to factors such as anxiety, pressure and stress, lack of exercise in turn leads to a threefold increased risk of hypertension. The increasing long-lasting burdens of fear, pressure and stress in childhood and adolescence are also associated with an increase in blood pressure
Among other things, a collection of useful recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases can be found via the Health Portal Austria.
“Bringing the arts into human life through activities such as dancing, singing, visiting museums and concerts offers a new dimension in terms of improving physical and mental health,” says Dr. Piroska Östlin, acting WHO Regional Director for Europe. (In WHO Europe report Art&Health 2019)
How can artistic practice contribute to reducing the risks and providing primary prevention?
Following the question, the arts4health
project was created with the aim, in cooperation with specialist departments and staff, researchers and with the respective target groups, to bring in the already developed and tested methods, across generations, for adults, children and young people, which can be integrated into everyday life and also practiced independently.
The warming up is an integral part of dance practice, composed from the preparatory, somatic care-acts and practiced to weather prepare the body, to situate the embodiment and increase awareness of space, emotional and mental state, “check” bodily conditions, and readiness to engage in exercises, and performative tasks. Ecomosmatic approach for warming up practices includes respiratory exercises such as Featherflight, followed by structured guided imagery which is apporoached to improving posture, alignment, and fluency of movement (Ideokinesis approach). Using metaphors, such as visualizing an object (such as “ 150.000.000 alveoli in the lungwings”), moving in stillness, inside of the body, or following an real object (such as feather).
On site in various rooms, content development in cooperation with partner institutions and associations, 30 min-190 min.
ZOOM sessions upon request
Workshops to get to know activities from already implemented projects:
heartbell ^heartbell, Lungwings,
Featherflight, BGF2030 , Circadian Rhythm, dreams_care by ERASMUS+
project LeMOON
From my professional experiences in the field of arts, such as dance, fine arts, music, literary and multimedia design, as well as in the field of intercultural education and cultural diplomacy within the last 30 years, I have created a bound of workshops and seminars with arts4health exercises to be practiced on cross-generational scale, under the motto:
simple, short and effective well_acts
Simple but long term effective exercises created from dance arts, yoga, pilates, music, linguistics, to improve active breathing, back-strengthening exercises, speech technics, , etc., can be integrated into everyday life. Cross-generational, barrier-free learning sessions inHouse and online, in cooperation with partner institutions, communities, and for individual participation.
TaylorED sessions for age-specific groups of participants:
50+ golden stAGEing
with elan vital sessions
is a set of 3-5 min. Movement&Cognition- Sequences for daily practice,
120 min movement workshops with inTalk on Point for consulting purposes
and individual mentoring program for 50+
Project start: December 2020
Interviews with professionals from the field of arts, medicine, fitness and health management
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t.christelbauer@gmail.com
