Making Meaning Out of Intersectionality Through Expressive Arts Therapy: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper illustrates how Expressive Arts therapy within a depth psychotherapy perspective helps one to face a heightened awareness of the four existential givens of life: death, isolation, freedom, and meaninglessness. The case of a mainland Chinese gay man, recently diagnosed with HIV, demonstrates how his intersectional identities come into play throughout the therapeutic process of meaning-making. Guided meditation and relaxation through listening to music, drawing, improvisation using the voice and the body, psychodrama techniques, story writing and Chinese calligraphy, which combines writing and drawing, all highlight the role of intermodal arts in igniting and deepening the process.