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It has been demonstrated that art therapy is beneficial in lowering stress levels and promoting both psychological and physical wellness. Art therapy has been used to assist people in coping psychologically and enhancing their physiological well-being when they are confronting a deadly illness. The Arab world has adopted therapeutic practices such as Al Sadu, Clay art, and Embroidery art. The Arab nations have had access to these art therapy techniques through artistic manifestations that have come to represent Arabic culture.
For many years, the Arab community has believed that creative representations of their culture offer great therapeutic benefits. It is possible to support yourself inwardly and enhance your spiritual wellness instead of solely focusing on treating a medical condition or even experiencing a disaster you need to overcome. Arab history has long employed art as a cathartic processing technique. It can also be a way to let inspiration come from one’s spirit, which is inherently creative.
Al Sadu: The Traditional Weaving
Traditional Al Sadu weaving is the term used to describe the traditional textiles woven by Bedouin women; the Arabic term “Al Sadu” denotes weaving that is done horizontally. Made on a ground loom, the weaving is a type of warp-faced plain weave. The cloth creates a sturdy, tightly woven fabric, and the weavers utilize natural fibers from their surroundings.
Bedouin weaving patterns, which blend geometric forms to flow in rhythmic repetition and symmetry, are a reflection of the desert environment in its most basic and unadulterated form.
In many Gulf nations, Bedouin women often preserve the skills of this age-old craft by continuing to weave the cloth on traditional looms. Al-Sadu is a significant part of the culture and legacy of the United Arab Emirates and is revered in Emirati society for its vital role in Bedouin life as well as its ability to adapt and be inventive. The craft was essential to community life and was one of the most significant economic contributions made by women.
Importance of Al Sadu for Mental Healing
An essential part of the Arabian Gulf’s material culture is al-Sadu weaving. There are components of al-Sadu iconography that have been replicated repeatedly by many weavers, which may lead to varying interpretations.
The reason al-Sadu is a potent medium for female artists is because it exhibits a symbolic, abstract language whose meanings have been passed down verbally.
Al Sadu’s weaving’s repetitive and meditative properties, combined with its link to ancestral traditions, can heal. Such ethnic traditions, which emphasize mindfulness, may help to reduce anxiety and stress. Al Sadu fosters a sense of community, purpose, and identity, creating several opportunities for mental health therapy.
Embroidery from The Arab World
The Arab world is well-known for its calligraphy, miniatures, woodworking, ceramics, and silver. However, there has been little discussion of another essential part of Arab culture: embroidery. For millennia, embroidered cloth has been used to decorate both private and public buildings, as well as to dress men, women, and children. Embroidery had a significant impact on people’s social and cultural lives, alongside reflecting economic and political changes.
Embroidery patterns are rarely just adornment. Motifs carry meaning. Some are intended to ward off evil or defend against the evil eye, while others are meant to symbolize social standing, rank, or even vocations, and yet others display organic patterns depicting local products, fauna, and flora, as well as arabesque or calligraphy motifs.
Strangers on the street or in the marketplace might often be identified or recognized as coming from a specific town or village by looking at subtle variances in needlework patterns, colours, and design elements.
The Mental Health Benefits of Embroidery Art
The link between mental health and embroidery is not a recent discovery. Historically, embroidery has assisted various demographics in overcoming or alleviating psychological stress and other factors.
Stress Reducer
The repeated, rhythmic motions of embroidery induce a sense of contentment and concentration. Focus is vital because it keeps the mind engaged on a task and reduces the likelihood of being sidetracked by negative thinking processes that feed anxiety or depression. By staying engaged, the mind cannot spiral.
Introduces Creative Outlets
Embroidery offers self-expression through the needle and thread. It’s a low-maintenance and less chaotic medium that can be easily picked up. It allows to translation of any mood or emotion onto fabric which produces a tangible piece of art in the process.
Encourages Social Community
Not only does embroidery foster a sense of community, but it also benefits those who live alone or in isolated places. Naturally, there are many easily accessible organizations available, but you may also discover advice, anecdotes, and a sense of community by joining a number of online forums, groups, and social media pages. Much like the Bedouin women, who joined and created an organization to work together, embroidery has a similar effect on building a community.
Clay Art of the Middle East
Around 3000 BC, the Middle Eastern practice of creating artwork out of clay and subsequently painting it originated in ancient Mesopotamia. Mosques, cathedrals, and palaces’ exterior and interior walls were covered in glazed tile panels for centuries.
Ar-Raqqah, Syria, (as stated here) developed into the first industrial complex for the manufacturing of pottery and glass in the eighth century. Soon after, there were more creative ceramic pottery centres throughout the Arab world. Several centres date back to the 10th century, Damascus, which lasted from the 12th to the mid-17th century, and Tabriz, which began in the late 15th century and continued until the mid-16th century.
Integrating Clay Art for Mental Healing
One such treatment that falls under the heading of therapeutic art is clay therapy. Strong emotions are best represented through clay work. Pressing, kneading, separating, flattening, and rolling a lump of clay can reveal a person’s soul and subconscious feelings. In this sense, clay therapy is a great way to express intense feelings.
In other words, working with clay is a sensory-motor craft that can improve a person’s physical and sensory abilities as well as assist them lessen disorders like paranoia, anxiety, sadness, and so on.
People can work directly with clay with their hands, shaping, squeezing, breaking, and separating it because of its malleable and flexible shape. This interaction helps you feel happier because clay work catharsis unpleasant emotions like depression and anxiety.
In Retrospect
The Middle East offers a vast cultural experience, rich in heritage, history, and values. As a mental healing tool that relies on creative expression to address emotional suffering, art therapy is becoming popular in the Arab world.
Through incorporation of traditional Arab art forms, helps individuals deal with stress, trauma, and any type of anxiety or phobia. The therapy is especially useful in conflict-affected areas and has been integrated with other therapeutic approaches in a bid to ameliorate mental health care in the region.
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