Tuberculosis: Art Therapy with Patients in Isolation

Psycho-social interventions for cancer patients in isolation for bone marrow transplant (BMT) have been advocated in the recent literature. It is not clear what type of interventions would be most appropriate. This study was conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), with three aims. (1) To test the feasibility of introducing art therapy as a supportive intervention for adult BMT patients in isolation. Nine patients were seen in art therapy sessions twice a week while in isolation, and were helped to develop free personal images. The three art therapists used the same art therapy program as a model. (2) To assess how patients would use the program. Forty-two images were made by the nine patients during the art therapy sessions. A thematic analysis of the images showed that the patients used art therapy effectively in three ways: (a) to strengthen their positive feelings, (b) to alleviate their distress, and (c) to clarify their existential/spiritual issues. (3) The third aim was to identify which patients would most benefit from art therapy. Our results suggest that the non-verbal metaphorical modality of art therapy may be especially beneficial for patients who need to deal with emotional conflicts, and with feelings about life and death, in a safe setting.

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Art therapy on a bone marrow transplant unit: the case study of a Vietnam veteran fighting myelofibrosis

Greece

2003

The Arts in Psychotherapy

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Tuberculosis: Art Therapy with Patients in Isolation

Cited by 10 publications

References 30 publications

Dimensions of Art Therapy in Medical Illness

Dimensions of Art Therapy in Medical Illness

Art therapy with adult bone marrow transplant patients in isolation: a pilot study

Art therapy on a bone marrow transplant unit: the case study of a Vietnam veteran fighting myelofibrosis

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