Gold Coast Health is using the power of creativity to help people living with persistent pain, with two innovative workshops encouraging patients to explore music, movement and art as part of their recovery journey.
Run through the Creative Health Hub in partnership with the Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain Clinic (IPPC), the workshops were designed for participants who had completed the clinic’s four-week PACE pain management program.
Bringing together occupational therapists, psychologists and creative health staff, the sessions focused on building practical self-management skills while fostering social connection and improving wellbeing.
Participants first collaborated to create a six-minute audio piece inspired by Queensland thunderstorms, hinterland creeks and spoken reflections on living with pain. A second workshop encouraged patients to experiment with movement and kinetic art, challenging traditional ideas of how art is created.
Creative Health Hub facilitator Fletcher Babb said the workshops provided more than distraction from pain, helping participants build confidence, form meaningful connections and develop new coping strategies.
One participant said the sessions brought “joy and happiness” to the group, while another described them as helping people “be in the moment, sit with discomfort and find peace in the everyday.”
Artwork and creative pieces produced during the workshops will be showcased at Robina Hospital during National Pain Week in July.
Image source: goldcoast.health.qld.gov.au