Art Therapy and the Malnourished Brain: The Development of the Nourishment Framework

Misluk-Gervase, Eileen

doi:10.1080/07421656.2020.1739599

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…In an artwork titled ‘Imagine Me Beyond What You See’, art was used by the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals to ensure integration and acceptance in EDs; here art was a catalyst for sharing recovery stories regarding EDs, personal and collective bodily experiences, and raising awareness of EDs and body image (Misluk-Gervase 2020). A case study using the creative process to create a nutritional framework for individuals with AN reported that expressive art therapy can be particularly successful in meeting the special needs of individuals struggling with AN (Misluk-Gervase 2021). In a compilation of 32 studies from 1987 and 2012 related to psychosomatic disorders, EDs and relevant crises, only 2 were related to art psychotherapy in EDs; these relevant studies (Frisch, Franko, and Herzog 2006; Rehavia-Hanauer 2003) discuss the measurement of the effectiveness of art therapy for EDs, emphasising the limited number of empirical studies (Holmqvıst and Persson 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a long-term art-based group therapy with eating disorders

2023

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Eating disorders (EDs) affect the physical, psychological, emotional and interpersonal areas of the individual and cause serious medical and mental consequences. Their treatment should be handled in a multidisciplinary manner.The objective of this study was to investigate potential benefits of long-term art-based group therapy (ABGT) as an adjunct to treatment for a variety of EDs. This study examined the effects of ABGT on disease symptoms, difficulty regulating emotions, depression, anxiety, targeted problems, functioning of individuals with EDs and therapeutic efficiency of the group. The study was carried out as a pre-test-post-test, quasi-experimental study with a control group, with a small sample diagnosed with an ED. In addition to their standard treatment at the outpatient centre, participants were included in a 30-week long-term semistructured ABGT focused on raising awareness of their psychological problems. Participants who received ABGT had significantly better functioning and lower severity of target problems compared with the control group. The severity of the three most important problems reported by patients post-ABGT compared with pre-ABGT and the effects of these problems on their social/private lives reduction was observed. The participants mostly benefited from catharsis, universality, self-understanding, existential factors and family re-enactment in the group process. Through the artwork, participants recognised the mental conflicts causing the symptoms of their ED. We found that art-based interventions are useful in the treatment of EDs, as they positively changed the functioning and symptoms of people with EDs. We recommend that clinicians keep these interventions in mind in formulating treatment protocols for these disorders.

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