The Expressive Instinct

Abstract

Abstract The premise of this book is that creative self-expression is as fundamental to mental health and well-being as physical exercise and nutritious food are to the body. The author seeks to explain the human instinct for creative expression: why it exists, what happens when we cannot express ourselves effectively, the sublimating role of creativity, how it aids healing, and how it can help us thrive biologically, psychologically, spiritually, and physically (including as sexual beings). The four goals of the book are as follows: (1) to dispel the idea that creativity is the domain of a select gifted few; (2) to democratize the idea of creative self-expression and share evidence from neurobiology and neuroscience on how making things, innovating, and bridging from the intangible of the imagination to the concreteness of objects promotes well-being; (3) to show how, when we face adversity and trauma to an extent that threatens our own capacity to function, working with someone like an art therapist who can serve a facilitative role can help us develop a sense of belonging and function adaptively in the world again; and (4) to provide suggestions on how the results of research on creative self-expression and well-being can be integrated into our lives and what we have to look forward to in the future.

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