The Oxford Handbook of Mental Health and Contemporary Western Aesthetics

Human flourishing depends upon the mental health of the individuals. Throughout history, various cultural traditions have established and practiced diverse strategies to maintain their community members' mental health, treat their mental illness, and enhance their well-being. They range from spiritual disciplines, religious rituals, and philosophical training, to communal activities, educational instructions, and community support. It is noteworthy that aesthetic objects and activities are frequently integrated into these strategies. They include visual arts, music, dance, story-telling, theatre, and occasions and events made special by certain foods, drinks, decorations, clothes, and fragrance. This long-held and widely-practiced integration of aesthetics into promotion of mental health testifies to the power of the aesthetic to affect the well-being of humans and their communities. The world's major philosophies and religious traditions have recognized this power of the aesthetic. For example, Plato's proposed censorship of the arts in his utopian Republic indicates his acknowledgement of, and a respect for, the power of the arts to mold the citizens' psyche and character. Confucianism also utilizes arts and rituals to promote moral virtues. Finally, Buddhism teaches the cultivation of mindful practice for human flourishing by developing an alternative relationship with present-moment experience such as suffering and distress. Today, the most dominant methods of treating mental illness in the West are psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatry, methodologies and practices established and developed in Europe since the nineteenth century. Ever since the birth of art and poetry, its purpose has been to inspire, stir and move people. This handbook addresses the valuable role aesthetics plays in psychotherapy and psychiatry exploring both theory and practice.