The Healing Power of Art: Why Can Clay Modeling Cure Gaming Addiction? Psychologists Reveal the Magical Healing Code of Korean Experiments

Gaming Addiction Dilemma: Virtual World Consuming Real Functions

Many parents are troubled but helpless. Children become addicted to online games, with severe addicts experiencing inability to communicate with the outside world, low mood, and attention problems. This phenomenon of virtual worlds consuming real social functions is defined by the World Health Organization as "Internet Gaming Disorder" (IGD).

Korean Experiment: Art Therapy vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Showdown

Experimental Design

2025 Korean team conducted clinical trials comparing art therapy with mainstream cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): - **92** IGD adolescents aged 13-15 - **CBT group**: 12 standard group therapy sessions - **Art therapy group**: 10 Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) therapy sessions

Treatment Effect Comparison

- **Common effects**: Both therapies reduced gaming addiction levels and improved ADHD symptoms - **Art therapy advantage**: Significantly better than CBT in improving emotional issues

Neural Mechanism Revealed: Why Art is More Effective Than Preaching

CBT Treatment Path

Cognitive behavioral therapy uses language to identify distorted cognitions, adjust core beliefs, discussing topics like "gaming pros/cons" and "stress coping strategies" to reconstruct thinking patterns.

Art Therapy Path

Art therapy takes a different approach: **Activate sensory experiences → Reduce stress hormones → Reorganize neural pathways**

Three-Phase Process of Art Therapy

Phase One: Tactile Activities Soothe Body and Mind

- Kneading clay, making slime, salt grain coloring - Reducing stress hormones through tactile stimulation

Phase Two: Connecting Virtual and Real Spaces

- Plaster handprints - Cardboard "miniature village" models - Attempting to establish real connections

Phase Three: Integrating Internal Resources

- Creating personal symbols - Drawing strength images - Multi-sensory stimulation reorganizing emotional regulation neural pathways

Treatment Effect Quantification

Observing changes through "Person Picking an Apple from a Tree" (PPAT) drawing test: - **Pre-treatment**: Rough sketches of floating apple picking - **Post-treatment**: Friends climbing ladders together picking apples on green grass

Adolescents with enhanced "implicit energy" showed the most significant decreases in depression and IGD scores, reflecting improved real-world problem-solving ability and self-efficacy.

Art Therapy's Triple Repair Logic

Emotional Release Container

IGD adolescents use games to avoid real-world helplessness; art therapy safely releases suppressed anger and loneliness through non-verbal expression like pounding clay, splashing paint.

Sensory Experience Reshapes Brain Function

Feeling clay changes, observing paint mixing, shaping plaster—tactile, visual, kinesthetic mixed stimulation enhances prefrontal cortex regulation of limbic system, reducing anxiety physiological arousal.

Group Creation Repairs Social Connections

Discussing spatial layouts, sharing materials while co-building "miniature villages," non-competitive collaboration rebuilds real-world empathy abilities.

Research Limitations and Value

Limitations

- Sample only from Seoul middle school students - Data collection relying solely on self-report scales

Innovative Value

Provides new ideas for parents ineffective with preaching: when children immerse in virtual worlds, instead of confiscating phones/computers, try kneading playdough together.

Practical Psychology Suggestions for Parents

"Sensory Decompression" Plan

Reference art therapy's initial phase: - **Material preparation**: Moldable clay, colored salt grains, safe slime - **Timing selection**: When child is anxious or impulsively wants to game - **Effect**: Tactile stimulation quickly reduces cortisol levels, alleviating stress and impulses

"Problem-Solving" Drawing Practice

Follow PPAT test logic: - **Theme creation**: "Person picking apples from a tree" - **Observation elements**: Ladders, baskets, other people or elements - **Guiding questions**: "If apples grow on high branches, what method would you use to pick them?" - **Goal**: Enhance real-world problem coping ability through solving drawing problems

Group Creation Rebuilds Social Skills

Imitate "village building" activity: - **Materials**: Cardboard boxes, wood pieces, etc. - **Activity**: Co-build miniature community with friends, assign character roles - **Goal**: Rebuild social confidence through group art creation, reduce virtual social dependence

Art therapy provides a new treatment path for gaming-addicted adolescents, helping them reconnect with the real world and rediscover life's balance and meaning through multi-sensory experiences and creative expression.