Creativity, when used as a means for treatment, is referred to as art therapy. This relatively new approach allows the patient to share their experience and pain through guided creation. While one may question the effectiveness of forced creativity in the healing process, there are strong arguments and positive results in support of art therapy as a successful means for internal resolution. Stephen King is one such example of an individual who, without the aid of a therapist to structure his post traumatic play, revisits a past trauma. He continues to project his state of mind in his works, with feeble attempts to overcome these nightmares which he seems to dwell on.
Many theories exist which examine the relationship between creativity and trauma.
For example, Lenore Terr, believes that without therapy to guide the survivor, post traumatic play perpetuates terror without relief, but D. W. Winnicot, considers this kind of play to be therapy in and of itself. Whether the post-trauma method of creativity is explicit or implicit, conscious or unconscious, we maintain that it is an attempt to release and repair internalized confusion stirred up by a trauma. Writing about and giving language to a victim's experience gives structure to an event in a survivor's memory. A lack of this structure can be seen with writers who continually revisit their traumatic themes in their work. Given close attention, these creative products provide a window into the artist's inner state of mind.