Crafting Provides Cross-Body Therapy Which Helps Mental Health

Knitting and crochet are examples of "crossing the midline" activities, offering long-term healing but also have in-the-moment benefits

This article originally appeared on the PsychCentral blog Crafting to Heal in 2019. I updated it with additional information before re-sharing again here.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Sharyn of Homespun Dreams about how she uses craft as therapy. She lives with both anxiety and chronic pain. She enjoys crochet, knitting, sewing, tatting, and other crafts, sometimes mixing them together in one project. She also happens to have a nursing degree so she understands the benefits of crafting from both a personal and professional perspective. It was through her that I learned about the idea of crafting as cross-body therapy.

Crossing the midline is a developmental milestone and therapeutic concept that refers to the ability to move one's hand, foot, or eye across the center of the body to the opposite side. This ability is crucial for developing coordinated movement, spatial awareness, and cognitive skills.

What is Cross-Body Therapy?