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Mindfulness Practices In Art Therapy With Veterans

In this study, 5 women with co-occurring DSM-IV-TR diagnoses in a residential treatment center for homeless veterans and their families received group mindfulness oriented art therapy during an 8-week intervention. Two of the participants were utilized in this case study research to explore how a mindfulness can be implemented in group art therapy and what impact this may have for the female veterans. The study included a qualitative analysis of the veteran’s artwork and the participants’ account of their own behavior. The findings revealed that participants used the art process to express a developing awareness of avoidance and denial often associated with both substance abuse and PTSD. The participants’ artwork and self-reports indicated enhanced flexibility in focus of attention, self-awareness, and self-regulation. The study demonstrated the potential of mindfulness oriented art therapy for enhancing healthy coping strategies.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:lmu.edu/oai:digitalcommons.lmu.edu:etd-1034
Date06 June 2013
CreatorsMartin, Eric G
PublisherDigital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School
Source SetsLoyola Marymount University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceLMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

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