The Effect of Art Therapy and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Program on the Levels of Alexithymia of Individuals

Abstract

Study was prepared to determine the effect of group practices on the alexithymia symptoms of individuals using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Art Therapy (AT) techniques. Experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups was used in the study. Individuals who received high scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and volunteered were assigned to the first experiment (14), the second experiment (14) and the control group (14) objectively. The study group of the research consists of second and third year students studying at the psychology department of Istanbul Gelisim University. Participation in the research is on a voluntary basis. The measurement tools were applied as a pretest before the application and as a posttest at the end of the application. In the study, MBCT Program was applied to the first experimental group and AT program was applied to the second experimental group. Not any procedure was applied to the control group. The experimental process was applied to both experimental groups once a week, 90 minutes to the MBCT Group, and 120 minutes to the AT group as 8 sessions. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used to compare the groups among themselves. The group from which the difference originated was analyzed by the Mann Whitney U Test. As a result, MBCT Program and AT program were found to be effective in reducing the levels of alexithymia. There was no remarkable change in the measurements of the individuals in the control group. When the studies on alexithymia in our country are examined, besides the research of this concept, the lack of practical studies on this concept draws attention. The idea that group work with art therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programs designed to reduce alexithymia in the normal population will make a significant contribution to the field theoretically, practically and experimentally. It was observed that there wasn’t any significant difference in alexithymia levels between the two therapy programs. The results, limitations and strengths of the study were discussed under the leadership of the literature.

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Breathing and Music Therapy Practice on Nurses' Stress, Work-Related Strain, and Psychological Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…[7][8][9][10] Mindfulness-based interventions are among the methods developed for coping with stress today. 10,11 In mindfulness practice, attention is focused on breathing, body sensations, thoughts, and emotions. 12 Mindfulness exercises are launched by focusing on breathing after getting seated in an armchair.…”

Art Therapy with the Extent of Health Promotion

“…On this path, there is psychological relaxation, spiritual rest, and emotional calmness. With the materials used while doing this, it enables people to reflect their weakness, stress, and anxiety, in short, their negative feelings or positive feelings in the opposite direction, or what individuals want to tell, with shapes and symbols that they reveal through art [15]. Art therapy is to reveal the creative process by using art materials therapeutically together with an instructor who has received art therapy training to make individuals feel good.…”

“…Birth, death, marriage, harvest or crop ceremonies, and religious, spiritual and physical healing rituals were intertwined with art. Ancient people made art a part of their lives by singing, dancing, drumming, drawing, or telling stories [13,15]. In general, art has an important contribution to human health.…”

“…Adrian Hill claimed that the drawings and paintings they made with tuberculosis patients not only allowed them to evaluate time but also allowed people to express their emotions and traumatic experiences. In 1958, the first art therapy course was opened at New York University, which also taught his methods and principles [8,13,15].…”

“…Music therapy provides different ways of communication for people who have difficulty expressing themselves with words. Research on music therapy has demonstrated the effectiveness of treatment by focusing on many areas,s such as general physical rehabilitation, increasing motivation for treatment compliance, providing emotional support to clients and their families, and providing an outlet for the expression of emotions [15,27,53].…”