“I want to keep my sufferings. They are part of me and my art.” Painter Edvard Munch
“I had the feeling therapy was good for my writing very early on.” Filmmaker Agnes Jaoui
Referring to Munch’s statement, psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison notes in her book Touched with fire: Manic-depressive illness and the artistic temperament:
“This is a common concern. Many artists and writers believe that turmoil, suffering, and extremes in emotional experience are integral not only to the human condition but to their abilities as artists.”
She adds that many fear that “psychiatric treatment will transform them into normal, well-adjusted, dampened, and bloodless souls — unable, or unmotivated, to write, paint, or compose.”
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TPG
10:12 am on
July 1st, 2010For creative types, therapy might help the work. It might be neutral. It might hurt it. You won’t know until you try it. Just keep in mind that it is not a life sentence and that it’s fine to stop because you think it’s hurting your creatively.
One thing I have heard over and over, however, is that SSRI anti-depressant drugs can be a creative impediment. They have been described as “slowing down the brain.” This is not data, this is anecdote, of course.
However, I’ve also heard it said that SSRI drugs can lead to some amazing dreams.
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