Doodling, an activity that includes freehand drawing, allows the brain to focus and relax. By simply indulging in a few minutes of drawing on a sheet of paper (something that a lot of people indulged in school) we allow our minds to rest a bit so we can focus on the task at hand.
In my art sessions with PWDs (persons with disabilities) I sometimes have to deal with actual pain like headaches or colds that affect my session with them. Of course I always recommend rest and suggest canceling the session if the individual is too weak or in great pain but oftentimes art session is a welcome activity for them. In instances like this, I use the healing properties of doodling ;-)
And the fun part, if the student has been distracted from actual pain, we can pursue colors to add excitement to the line drawings and create compositions that are enjoyable to make and pleases the aesthetics.
Below: a work done by a PWD (mental retardation) using watercolor pencils. The PWD had gout during the session but was able to complete this artwork without noticing pains from his gout:
