Alone within the ALONESS of Covid-19: Developing Contemplative, Artistic Inner Friendship for Turbulent Times

Abstract

Art therapy, imaginal mindfulness, yoga, and meditation were personal and collegial necessities for surviving the emotional fallout of isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Combining these practices offered us credible resources for enhancing our social, cultural, and spiritual wellness when faced with the loneliness of lockdown living. This article applies an autoethnographic lens highlighting the value of these contemplative tools for managing pandemic related distress within myself and my professional peer group. The material gathered for this article is based on the authenticity of personal, smaller samples of shared, self-described observational phenomena. While these points were not formally studied with a review of scientific samples, the pandemic encouraged innovative forms of social communication between me, colleagues, and graduate students studying art therapy. Consequently, the information presented was consistently observed and shared between these professional communities. Self-reported findings from my confreres suggested outcomes of interiorized self-regulation skills such as focused attention, inner friendship/self-compassion, and witness awareness resulting from joining art with contemplative practices.