英文原文
Growing up has its challenges. Each one of us finds obstacles in our path. For some of us, including myself, those obstacles came in the form of physical disabilities. I sometimes like to refer to them as “differences”, and not necessarily as obstacles but as “challenges." For many at any age, including myself, these challenges are fine motor skill related. As I’ve journeyed into adulthood and found a love of the arts lurking within me, I have realized many artistic outlets where I can convince my hands and my eyes to work together. As I grew to understand that therapy can be found anywhere I look, my mother realized the same of her knitting group. While I am focused on fine motor skills, her geriatric friends are focused on their own cognition. As patients we must use any and all therapies available to us in order to heal. Within the textile arts knitting has not only been used as an occupational therapy, but also to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while helping us retain cognitive brain function and physical dexterity in old age.
One of the most notable uses of knitting is in Occupational Therapy, or “OT” for short. The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics describes this work as follows, “patients with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. OT helps patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working.” Needle arts as therapy serves a number of different purposes. While it does help improve fine motor skills, it also improves cognitive abilities, allowing the body to heal in more than just one way. There are a number of reasons it works so well. One school of thought teaches that within “craft therapy” there is no right and wrong, meaning that patients are improving themselves in a demanding yet stress free environment. The first time I knitted was in a anachronistic summer camp. It was labeled “quiet knitting time," the preteen equivalent to nap time. The camp, set in a historic house from the 1700s creaked beneath the children sitting cross legged, while the counselor read from a book of the era. The activity soothed me with repetitive motion, where even a mis-stitch was easily fixed. When the camp ended I continued the practice for a time. My Mother, a knitter, must have noted how wonderfully at ease I seemed (although I’m sure she saw an active boy inside squirming), and I remember the pride I felt in my creation, even though all I ever produced was a beautifully soft knitted cylinder that stretched six feet. It was the sense of accomplishment within the practice that lead to its benefit in my development, a point experts agree on.
In the modern age, the textile arts are being widely used to help manage stress, anxiety, depression, all of which contribute to rumination.
A study by Bissell and Malloux notes that OT used crafting to treat the mentally ill until World War I when it was adopted to treatment of returning combat veterans. Post war, there was a major upswing in the use of knitting and other crafts in OT. “The use of crafts was discussed in terms of physical factors such as strength, coordination, and endurance, as well as psychological and social aspects such as problem solving, decision making, self-esteem development and group socialization." This was the height of crafting in therapy. The study by Bissell and Malloux completed in the early 80s is still one of the only ones of its kind. The study found that three out of four occupational therapists used crafting as a therapy, but only 20% of the time. The chief reason for such an underwhelming statistic is that crafting as therapy cannot be measured. While the physical strength of the patient can be tracked, it is next to impossible to numerically measure the psychosocial aspect. “Occupational therapists might see huge benefits to crafting but if they can’t offer measurable proof that their methods are working then they may not be able to get the money they need to keep their methods going." This is perhaps why I, as a patient, never encountered knitting as OT when I was inevitably pulled out of class for therapy. As an elementary student of the early 1990s my opportunity to discover this therapy was never realized. I don’t assume that in therapy knitting’s hayday, the OT of developmentally disabled young people was a priority. While, for my purposes, drawing and bouncing a ball made the cut, knitting never did.
Knitting produces something tangible which in turn raises the knitter’s self-esteem and self-worth.
In the modern age, the textile arts are being widely used to help manage stress, anxiety, depression, all of which contribute to rumination (focusing on one’s distress), and other similar psychological maladies. “A 2007 study conducted by Harvard Medical School’s Mind and Body Institute, found that knitting lowers heart rate, by an average of 11 beats per minute, and induces an ‘enhanced state of calm,’ similar to that of yoga.” Not only can simple knitting immediately reduce heart rate, but with some practice, knitting can aid in lowering blood pressure, and eventually even in reducing cortisol levels. Unlike the aforementioned meditative therapies, knitting produces something tangible which in turn raises the knitter’s self-esteem and self-worth.
Studies also find that knitting can enhance socialization and promote a calm environment. A 2009 study found that in 72% of anorexic women, knitting daily lead to a decrease in rumination, which in turn leads to a higher rate of progress in therapy. Meanwhile, Betsan Corkhill, author of “Knit for Health and Wellness” found, through her website, “Stitchlinks” that 54% of chronically depressed knitters saw a reduction in symptoms while knitting. Additionally Corkhil found that almost 100% of knitters suffering from chronic pain saw a reduction of symptoms while knitting.
The most interesting statistics (even more relevant to the older knitter) is how knitting helps the retention of cognitive brain functions. A 2011 study at the Mayo Clinic of 1,300 people between the ages of 70 and 89, most of whom were cognitively normal, was conducted to determine what cognitive activities they engaged in later in life. “The study, published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in crafts like knitting and crocheting had a diminished chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.” This proves without a doubt that knitters are happier longer. A point my knitter mom agreed on. While discussing this research with her she noted her own knitting circle. My parents live in one of those western Florida over 55 communities, and my mother is considered the spring chicken of her knitting group at 65, the oldest being 92. They call themselves “The Sew Whats” and she did not hesitate to point out that every single one of them can knit, count their stitches and hold a conversation, most of the time with little to no error.
The activity of knitting in patients with dementia can slow the onset by as much as 50%, as well as helping to stabilize its progression.
There are a number of reasons why knitting is so good at helping maintain cognitive abilities. The parts of our brains specifically activated by knitting are memory and attention span, the two brain functions affected most by dementia. When a person with onset dementia knits, it works these brain centers out much like a muscle. The activity of knitting in patients with dementia can slow the onset by as much as 50%, as well as helping to stabilize its progression. However, all studies done on retention of cognitive abilities in knitters point out that all subjects who showed a positive outcome from knitting had learned to knit well before their dementia was diagnosed, meaning that in order to benefit from the effects of knitting one should already be, at least, a beginner knitter. A point my Mother confirmed, as all of the "Sew What's" learned to knit when they were younger women. When using knitting to improve cognitive retention there is no limit. Meaning, that as one improves, as their brain muscles recall and allow them to be proficient in certain patterns, speed, and difficulties, a patient can move on to a more and more difficult level of knitting. This allows patients to improve cognitive abilities and fight the symptoms of dementia.
Surveys show that there is a huge uptick in crafting, specifically knitting, as a social community builder and art form among millennials besides it being a way to reduce to stress. Hopefully, in the future, the medical community will come to widely accept knitting as a form of cognitive, occupational, and psychological therapy. Until then, pick up a pair of needles, some yarn, join a knitting circle, and stitch your heart out!
中文翻译
成长过程中总会遇到挑战。我们每个人都会在人生道路上遇到障碍。对于包括我在内的一些人来说，这些障碍以身体残疾的形式出现。我有时喜欢称它们为“差异”，而不一定是障碍，而是“挑战”。对于许多任何年龄段的人来说，包括我自己，这些挑战与精细运动技能有关。当我步入成年，发现内心潜藏着对艺术的热爱时，我意识到许多艺术表达方式可以让我说服自己的手和眼睛协同工作。随着我逐渐明白治疗可以在任何地方找到，我母亲也意识到她的编织小组也是如此。当我专注于精细运动技能时，她的老年朋友们则专注于自己的认知能力。作为患者，我们必须利用所有可用的疗法来治愈自己。在纺织艺术中，编织不仅被用作职业疗法，还能减轻压力、焦虑和抑郁，同时帮助我们在老年时保持认知脑功能和身体灵活性。
编织最显著的用途之一是职业疗法，简称“OT”。美国劳工统计局将这项工作描述如下：“通过日常活动的治疗性使用，帮助受伤、生病或残疾的患者。OT帮助患者发展、恢复和改善日常生活和工作所需的技能。”针线艺术作为疗法有多种不同目的。它不仅有助于改善精细运动技能，还能提高认知能力，让身体以不止一种方式愈合。它之所以如此有效，有几个原因。一种思想流派认为，在“工艺疗法”中没有对错之分，这意味着患者在一个要求高但无压力的环境中改善自己。我第一次编织是在一个不合时宜的夏令营。它被称为“安静编织时间”，相当于青春期前的午睡时间。营地设在一座18世纪的历史房屋中，孩子们盘腿坐着时房屋吱吱作响，而辅导员则朗读那个时代的书籍。这项活动通过重复的动作让我平静下来，即使是一个错误的针脚也很容易修复。夏令营结束后，我继续练习了一段时间。我的母亲是一位编织者，她一定注意到我看起来多么轻松自在（尽管我相信她看到了我内心那个活跃的男孩在扭动），我记得我对自己的创作感到自豪，尽管我唯一制作的东西是一个六英尺长的美丽柔软的编织圆柱体。正是这种实践中的成就感，对我的发展产生了益处，专家们也同意这一点。
在现代，纺织艺术被广泛用于帮助管理压力、焦虑和抑郁，所有这些都会导致沉思。
Bissell和Malloux的一项研究指出，OT使用手工艺治疗精神疾病，直到第一次世界大战时被用于治疗归来的战斗老兵。战后，编织和其他手工艺在OT中的使用大幅增加。“手工艺的使用在物理因素（如力量、协调性和耐力）以及心理和社会方面（如解决问题、决策、自尊发展和群体社会化）进行了讨论。”这是手工艺在治疗中的巅峰时期。Bissell和Malloux在80年代初完成的研究仍然是同类研究中仅有的之一。研究发现，四分之三的职业治疗师使用手工艺作为疗法，但仅占20%的时间。这一统计数据如此不理想的主要原因是，手工艺作为疗法无法被测量。虽然患者的体力可以被追踪，但几乎不可能用数字来衡量心理社会方面。“职业治疗师可能看到手工艺的巨大益处，但如果他们无法提供可测量的证据证明他们的方法有效，那么他们可能无法获得维持方法所需的资金。”这也许就是为什么我作为患者，在不可避免地被拉出课堂进行治疗时，从未遇到过编织作为OT。作为90年代初的小学生，我从未有机会发现这种疗法。我不认为在编织治疗的鼎盛时期，发展障碍年轻人的OT是优先事项。虽然对于我的目的来说，绘画和拍球被选中，但编织从未被选中。
编织产生有形的东西，从而提高编织者的自尊和自我价值。
在现代，纺织艺术被广泛用于帮助管理压力、焦虑和抑郁，所有这些都会导致沉思（专注于自己的痛苦）和其他类似的心理疾病。“2007年哈佛医学院身心研究所进行的一项研究发现，编织平均每分钟降低心率11次，并诱导一种‘增强的平静状态’，类似于瑜伽。”简单的编织不仅可以立即降低心率，而且通过一些练习，编织可以帮助降低血压，最终甚至降低皮质醇水平。与上述冥想疗法不同，编织产生有形的东西，从而提高编织者的自尊和自我价值。
研究还发现，编织可以增强社交能力并促进平静的环境。2009年的一项研究发现，在72%的厌食症女性中，每天编织导致沉思减少，从而提高了治疗进展率。同时，《为健康与幸福编织》的作者Betsan Corkhill通过她的网站“Stitchlinks”发现，54%的慢性抑郁编织者在编织时症状减轻。此外，Corkhill发现，几乎100%的患有慢性疼痛的编织者在编织时症状减轻。
最有趣的统计数据（与老年编织者更相关）是编织如何帮助保持认知脑功能。2011年梅奥诊所对1,300名年龄在70至89岁之间的人进行了一项研究，其中大多数认知正常，旨在确定他们在晚年从事哪些认知活动。“这项发表在《神经精神病学与临床神经科学杂志》上的研究发现，从事编织和钩针等手工艺的人患轻度认知障碍和记忆丧失的几率降低。”这无疑证明编织者更快乐更长久。我的编织母亲同意这一点。在与她讨论这项研究时，她提到了自己的编织圈。我的父母住在佛罗里达州西部的一个55岁以上社区，我母亲65岁，被认为是她编织小组中的年轻成员，最年长的92岁。他们称自己为“The Sew Whats”，她毫不犹豫地指出，他们每个人都能编织、数针脚并交谈，大多数时候几乎没有错误。
痴呆症患者进行编织活动可以减缓发病速度高达50%，并有助于稳定其进展。
编织之所以如此擅长帮助保持认知能力，有几个原因。我们大脑中特别被编织激活的部分是记忆和注意力，这是受痴呆症影响最大的两个脑功能。当患有早期痴呆症的人编织时，它就像锻炼肌肉一样锻炼这些大脑中心。痴呆症患者进行编织活动可以减缓发病速度高达50%，并有助于稳定其进展。然而，所有关于编织者认知能力保持的研究都指出，所有从编织中显示出积极结果的受试者都在痴呆症诊断前就学会了编织，这意味着为了从编织的效果中受益，一个人应该至少已经是初学者编织者。我母亲证实了这一点，因为所有“Sew Whats”成员都在年轻时学会了编织。当使用编织来提高认知保持时，没有限制。这意味着，随着一个人的进步，随着他们的大脑肌肉回忆并允许他们精通某些图案、速度和难度，患者可以进入越来越难的编织水平。这使患者能够提高认知能力并对抗痴呆症的症状。
调查显示，手工艺，特别是编织，作为社交社区建设者和艺术形式在千禧一代中大幅增加，除了作为减轻压力的方式。希望在未来，医学界将广泛接受编织作为一种认知、职业和心理疗法。在那之前，拿起一对针、一些纱线，加入一个编织圈，尽情编织吧！
文章概要
这篇文章探讨了编织作为纺织艺术在治疗中的应用，特别是其作为职业疗法（OT）的作用，以及如何帮助减轻压力、焦虑和抑郁，同时提升认知功能和身体灵活性。文章通过个人经历和研究数据，展示了编织在改善精细运动技能、认知能力、自尊和社交方面的益处。它还强调了编织对老年人群，特别是痴呆症患者的积极影响，如减缓认知衰退和促进社区参与。文章呼吁医学界更广泛地接受编织作为一种有效的心理和认知疗法。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容：编织就像玩一个有趣的游戏，你可以用针和线做出东西来。它不仅能让你放松，就像做瑜伽一样，还能帮助你记住事情和集中注意力，特别是对老年人来说，可以让他们的大脑更健康。当你编织时，你会感到自豪，因为你能做出漂亮的东西，这让你更开心。而且，和朋友们一起编织还能交到新朋友，减少压力和烦恼。
TA沟通分析心理学理论评价：从沟通分析心理学理论来看，编织活动促进了成人自我状态（Adult ego state）的激活。在编织过程中，个体运用理性、客观和现实导向的思维来处理针法和图案，这体现了成人自我状态的功能，即基于当前信息和逻辑做出决策。例如，当编织者计数针脚或遵循复杂指令时，他们正在使用成人自我状态来管理任务，这有助于减少来自儿童自我状态（如焦虑或冲动）或父母自我状态（如自我批评）的干扰。这种状态平衡支持了情绪调节和认知提升，符合TA理论中健康自我状态整合的目标。编织作为一种结构化活动，提供了安全的环境，让个体可以练习成人自我状态，从而增强自我效能感和心理弹性。
在实践上可以应用的领域和可以解决人们的十个问题：编织在实践上可应用于心理健康、老年护理、康复治疗、教育、社区建设、职场减压、慢性病管理、成瘾恢复、创伤后成长和家庭关系改善等领域。它可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 减轻日常压力和焦虑，通过重复动作诱导平静状态；2. 提升自尊和自我价值感，通过创造有形成果；3. 改善认知功能，如记忆和注意力，对抗年龄相关衰退；4. 增强社交连接，通过编织小组减少孤独感；5. 管理抑郁症状，提供积极情绪出口；6. 支持痴呆症患者减缓认知下降；7. 帮助康复患者恢复精细运动技能；8. 促进创伤后心理愈合，提供可控的创造性活动；9. 减少慢性疼痛感知，分散注意力；10. 培养耐心和专注力，适用于儿童和成人发展。