| Abstract: |
At this time in history, the medical world is beginning to accept holistic approaches to aid in the psychosocial treatment of its patients. This is particularly true for cancer patients. Art therapy is one such psychosocial intervention that provides many possibilities for healing for such patients. This case study examines the art therapy experience of one such patient, a 52-year-old male in medical isolation after having received stem cell transplantation (SCT) to treat myelofibrosis, a life-threatening illness. The patient was a Vietnam Veteran and had a history of alcohol abuse. This study examines how the patient's history impacted his state of mind during hospitalization and isolation and how this was reflected in his artwork. Art therapy provided a means of examining this patient's past traumas so that he could then move into examining and living in the present moment. It also provides an example of how art therapy moves beyond the means of art making as healing to the world of metaphor and mental imagery as healing agents in a therapeutic process. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
