DONE. Those four letters have never felt so satisfying to hear. This past weekend I officially completed my master’s level diploma in Art Therapy from Winnipeg Holistic Expressive Arts Therapy Institute (WHEAT). This was a 2.5 year process of in person and online courses, practicum, supervision, projects, and a thesis to top it all off. During one of the years, I was also concurrently finishing a Master of Counselling. There were many times I felt overwhelmed, anxious (yes, us counsellors experience anxiety too!) and like giving up. However, throughout the process I was surrounded by an incredible support team, including my husband who championed this 20-year dream into a reality, my kids and extended family, and friends who came alongside over the years. These friends included a dear neighbour who encouraged me along the way, and my student cohort who fostered creativity, community, and support. Sometimes these social connections helped distract me with conversation unrelated to school, or focus me with thesis unpacking. There were moments of tears, laughter, and getaways for no purpose other than to be together.
A good social support circle is not everyone’s reality, and it got me to thinking about the importance of social connection for human flourishing: we are wired for connection, and in fact our well-being depends on it! There is significant research that social connection supports and “can help people maintain a healthy body mass index, control blood sugars, improve cancer survival, decrease cardiovascular mortality, decrease depressive symptoms, mitigate posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and improve overall mental health” (Martino et al., 2017). The harsh reality is that the opposite of course is also true.
Connection is medicine, and can release oxytocin, the hormone linked to bonding, which increases the feeling of pleasure. The power of connection can support feeling like you are part of something bigger than yourself, give meaning and purpose, and support feeling welcomed and understood. The correlation between connection and health is clear and has significant impact on many categories of health. Simply put: connection sustains a healthy, holistic life.
For all of these reasons, social connection is something that I ask about during my intake process with clients, as well as continue to check in on in subsequent sessions. Akin to Vitamin C, positive and meaningful social connections are needed daily, as Hallowell states, “we need a dose of the human moment- positive contact with other people”.
If you need mental health care, or simply want to get a pulse check on your own social connectedness health, I would love to support you!
My art therapy cohort turned-friends. I (Larissa Raine) am third from the right.
Martino, J., Pegg, J., & Frates, E. P. (2015). The Connection Prescription: Using the Power of Social Interactions and the Deep Desire for Connectedness to Empower Health and Wellness. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 11(6), 466–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827615608788
Holman, C. D. A. J., English, D. R., Milne, E., & Winter, M. G. (1996). Meta‐analysis of alcohol and all‐cause mortality: a validation of NHMRC recommendations. Medical Journal of Australia, 164(3), 141-145.
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