Transforming identity through participation in music and theatre: exploring narratives of people with mental health problems

Abstract

Background: There is a growing understanding that mental health problems and prolonged contact with mental healthcare systems can affect people’s identities. Working with identity is an important element in mental health recovery. Purpose: In this article, we explore the significance of participation in a music and theatre workshop in terms of people`s experiences of identity. Design and methods: This is a qualitative study based on a hermeneutical phenomenological epistemology. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with 11 participants at a music and theater workshop, analysed through a narrative analysis and presented in an ideographical “long” narrative form. The music and theater workshop is not overtly therapeutic although the activity takes place in a Norwegian mental health hospital for adults living with long-term mental health problems. Results: We identified three crosscutting themes: (1) becoming a whole person, (2) being allowed to hold multiple identities and (3) exploring diverse perspectives. Conclusion: Findings show that participation in the music and theatre workshop transformed the participants’ experiences of identity on two levels: individually and collectively. The participants developed a broader picture of themselves through their creative work with others. When they developed new identities, the narratives of themselves expanded.

“I now have a life!” Lived experiences of participation in music and theater in a mental health hospital

“…Again, the analysis revealed information about participants’ experiences of arts participation in various and diverse ways. These experiences refer to both longer identity narratives [10] and shorter, more expressive descriptions showing the complexity and variety of what arts participation bring to their lives. To formulate overarching themes requires an intensive analytical process [33].…”

“…In this study, we have analyzed data from a qualitative research project focusing on recovery processes among people with long-term mental illness [31]. In two previous published articles from the same study, we have focused on what enables meaningful arts participation in a mental hospital setting [31] and explored how arts participation may transform identities among people with mental illness [10]. The first article showed that continuity and flexibility in arts activities, guided by arts professionals with a non-judgment attitude, enabled participation [31].…”

“…The first article showed that continuity and flexibility in arts activities, guided by arts professionals with a non-judgment attitude, enabled participation [31]. In the second article, we found that having access to an illness-free zone where the emphasis was on the creative processes created a sense of belonging, skills-development and self-discovery which made it possible to transform previous identities [10]. In the current article, we take a broader view on arts participation and explore what experiences of participation in a music and theater workshop add to the lives of people with long-term mental illness.…”

Korsang som recovery-fremmende tiltak for personer med psykiske helseplager [Choral singing as a recovery-promoting intervention: A qualitative study]

“…Flere studier viser at kordeltakelse gir økt energi, økt selvtillit og tro på seg selv, samt at det har positiv effekt på helsen for øvrig (Dingle, Brander, Ballantyne & Baker, 2013;Vaag, Saksvik, Theorell, Skillingstad & Bjerkeset, 2013;Ørjasaeter, Stickley, Hedlund & Ness, 2017). Korsang oppleves av mange som en gledesfylt aktivitet som har potensial til å berike livet til deltakerne (Judd & Pooley, 2014).…”

A narrative study of mental health recovery: exploring unique, open-ended and collective processes

“…Demonstrating the relationality of narratives of recovery, several studies show how everyday activities that put us in touch with others are particularly valuable to create meaning. When doing activities together, the persons involved try out possible plots in collaboration, seeking to create narratives that make meaning to everyone involved (Lindström et al, 2013;Ørjasaeter et al, 2017;Reed et al, 2018;Ulfseth et al, 2015Ulfseth et al, , 2016.…”