For those in recovery, art therapy at Mariners Inn is a source of healing and restoration

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Up close, the brush strokes don't look like much. The ramblings of someone unsure where their hand is taking them. But widen your field of vision and what comes into focus is a work of art with a much deeper message.

"I call it, the Clash of Titans," said Stanhope. "This is a representation of ourselves fighting ourselves - through the transformation stage. The good and the bad, our lower selves and our higher selves, our addictions and our diseases and our goals and our dreams."

Equally ambiguous, but no less inspiring, Stanhope is in recovery. As a marine diagnosed with PTSD, in months past he was homeless and addicted to alcohol. But he's working to change that. And to aid him in his road to recovery is a new kind of assistance: art therapy.

"I think it opens up an awareness in part of the brain that people don't often tap into," said Karianne Spens-Hanna.

Spens-Hanna is an art therapist and works at the Mariners Inn, a rehabilitation center in Detroit. Utilizing less traditional forms of therapy, Spens-Hanna has worked to cultivate a room free of stress where those seeking treatment are encouraged to create.

"If you have this street life, you're not thinking about painting - you're thinking about surviving," she said.

That's not the case at the Mariners Inn however. 

From jewelry to sculpting to painting, Spens-Hanna hopes the therapy can help addicts explore other parts of their personality.

"For a long time, I just stayed in the same cycle and learning how to do things different has shown me that I can do something different and it helps my confidence," said Lamar.

The same could be said for Kenneth, another recovering through art.

"You're just creating something new and fresh," he said. "You get a finished product that you can be proud of too."

Those finished products won't remain dormant however. They're going on display at an exhibit from July 22 to Aug. 30 at the Ball Family YMCA, located at 1401 Broadway St. Detroit, 48226. The opening reception is July 19 from 5-8 p.m. at the Detroit Artists' Test Lab.