Why art therapy should be considered as a mandatory component of oncology programs?
What are the mandatory components of the oncology programs? What are the roles of the traditional conventional medicine and its alternative, complimentary medicine? These questions always arise once the discussion about a proper and most effective cancer treatment occurs. With the postmodernism’s changes in healthcare, the medical system became more focused on various tests and treatments, while putting the social aspect of healing aside (Burt, 170). For instance, the time period dedicated to consultations has been reduced to minimum which leaves many patients dissatisfied (170). As a consequence, many patients started to combine their regular treatment with complimentary medicine that focuses on patients wellbeing like art therapy. By definition, art therapy is a mind-body therapy that uses a creative approach to help patients express their unconscious thoughts regarding their disease, reduce stress as well as bring mind and body to peace and harmony (“Art therapy”). Patients are given an opportunity to express themselves through painting, sculpture, drawing, and other forms of art. It has been proved that patients engaged with this therapy have given a positive feedback, yet it still requires more of a based-evidence research (“Art therapy”). Regardless, of the present day debates about the compulsory use of creative approach, art therapy should be considered as a mandatory component of oncology programs because it brings positive side effects to patients with cancer symptoms, helps them to achieve peaceful minds as well as empowers them. Thus, art therapy should play an important role in the healing process.
For majority of patients, the diagnosis of cancer is perceived as a death penalty despite the use of modern and advanced methods. In just one day, cancer can alter one’s life completely. For example, nausea, insomnia, and loss of appetite greatly affect individual’s ability to perform and enjoy his/her every day activities (Burt, 180). Also, the side effects of hair loss, edema, and anorexia result a low self-esteem (179). Moreover, “these symptoms can be found to impact the family and caregivers to an equal extent, leading to an upheaval of the cancer patient’s whole environment” (180). Cancer patients’ emotions are associated with illness itself, hospitals, and their personal relationships (180). Not to mention, “‘You have cancer’ has caused many people to lose their ability to hear anything else the doctor or nurses are trying to explain about their disease and treatment” (180). Emotions like frustrations, grief, and fear can be challenging to be verbally expressed (180). It has been proved that inability of self-expression puts patients at risk of developing serious complications (180). Due to such rough consequences, many patients and their families turn to the complementary medicine like art therapy. Since 1980s, this method has been introduced to some oncology programs and had shown some improvements in increasing patients’ self-control and self-esteem (180). The art therapy provides a so-called vehicle of self-expression which is supported by the use of artistic materials (180). The research has concluded that teens and children have improved their communication skills throughout art therapy sessions (“Art therapy”). It also helps to improve the quality of life, reduce the stress as well as deal with extreme fatigue and depression (“Art therapy”). There may be present some feelings of being unconfutable, but specialists reassure that it is part of the healing process (“Art therapy”). Over all, regardless the proclaimed lack of scientific research in the medical field the link between cancer and a positive side of art therapy has been shown in a way of helping patients to achieve a positive mindset and face cancer from a less negative approach.
How is the mindset of an individual is changing during the sessions of art therapy? Caryl Sibbett, an art psychotherapist, believes that the treatment of cancer patients with the use of art therapy can be regarded from the anthropological perspective in the form of drawing parallel connections between the rites of passage and the ritual (Waller, Diane, and Sibbett, 14). The 4 characteristics of fascinating process of mind change will be discussed further. The first one is limbo which is defined as the acknowledgment of how it feels like “staying with the uncertainty or not knowing what it “means” or “says” which is centre to the therapeutic process” (17). For example, one patient recalled that his limbo phase was challenging in a way of waiting for results and further treatment process (17). The second characteristic is power/powerlessness which Sibbett depicts as the “structural inferiority and outsider-hood” (21). The diagnosis of cancer is associated with devastating consequences of the uncertainty about the future and inability to control over the body (21). Luckily, the sessions of art therapy allow individuals to find a balance between the forces that enable destruction and that influence creativity; it lets patients to be open to change and think of creative solutions that cannot be thought of during a regular treatment (21). For example, one patients with lymphoma cancer stated that art therapy has helped her to gain self-control and self-expression even though her body was fully controlled by medical specialists and various tests. The next characteristic is playing which is associated with allowing patients to play and have a freedom of expression which stimulates the development of new behaviour and new thoughts. (23-24). The last and fourth characteristic communitas which is defined as a form of sharing personal experience and interaction with peers (29). It is believed that social experience is enhanced by sharing, active participation in discussions, and witnessing (29). The art studios provide a communal environment in which every single individual performs a unique and personal ritual of self-expression (29). Consequently, though art therapy which can be regarded as a ritual, individual’s mind obtains a lot of changes that influence the self-discovery, self-acceptance, and better self-understanding.
Even though, many specialists of the traditional conventional medicine state the irrelevance of the art therapy and in some ways disregard all the obtained evidence, over the decades many research have shown the opposite results and beliefs. Susan Hogan, the author of Revisiting Feminist Approaches to Art Therapy , analyzes the benefits of art therapy though studying various cases of women with breast cancer. She starts by saying that most women in those sessions have been exposed to art either through art classes in high school or through helping their children (Hogan, 54). However, once they became engaged in the therapy sessions, they have redefined art and made it autobiographical: “that is very personal, celebrates the individual’s experience, and places the personal on the same level as the political” (54). As previously mentioned, art therapy helps to explore the aspects of illness from the perspectives of losses, decision-making, medical care, and body changes (“Art therapy”). Moreover, Hogan also states that personal empowerment is present. She refers to the personal empowerment as an opportunity to cope with one’s fears and all the unanswered questions though personal art or group discussions (54). From the feminist perspective, empowerment means raising consciousness and building emphasis on promoting social change through collaboration with fellow patients (54). Dr. David Spiegel and his team from the Stanford University School of Medicine have suggested that women with breast cancer who participated in this particular type of art therapy could potentially express the empowering and life-enhancing (54). In his conducted study, women who took part in the research had doubled their survival rate in comparison with those who did not (54). In conclusion from Hogan’s case studies, it has been proved that art therapy empowers women who have a breast cancer to continue their treatment, have hope in soon recovery, and inspire others not to lose hope.
Just like any type of treatment, art therapy has its own limitations and disadvantages that may affect the whole debate issue about the compulsory use of creative approach in treating cancer. To begin with, some patients, usually adults, can be uncomfortable with engaging in art therapy activities reasoning it as an inability to be creative or not having any artistic skills (Malchiodi, 12). Also, some patients can resist to participate in activities due to fear of judgement from peers about their self-expression and beliefs (12). Ironically, the group of patients who are involved in arts like painting and drawing can be unable to be freed from their learned skills and treat sessions as projects or assignments (13). Moreover, due to unpopularity of art therapy among the oncology programs, many specialists do not receive an appropriate training in terms of what approach and techniques must be used for a successful healing process (13). Malchiodi states that it “particularly true of client-created drawings and other art expressions; practitioners may be tempted to project their own conclusions about content, sometimes missing their clients’ in- tended meanings” (13). Moreover, specialists may also focus on the usage of activities from books and workshops rather than building an emphasis on their particular group (13). In other words, they may completely disregard patients’ past life, present problems and worrisome, and their goals (13). Lastly, there is still a lot of research required on how art therapy can be applied on various age and social groups, including children, families, and just adult groups (“Art therapy”). Also, like any other, treatment it cannot be suitable for everyone because each patient requires a unique approach. In conclusion, art therapy is a relatively new type of treatment that still requires a lot of improvement and more knowledge.
Regardless of art therapy’s limitations, there have been numerous of art-based assessments and studies that have attracted medical field’s specialists and have received their positive feedback. Many specialists do agree that there is a positive relationship between cancer patients and art therapy due to their improvement of mental state, stress reduction, and quality of life (“Art therapy”). Moreover, this therapy also alters individual’s mind making him/her gain more control over body, self-expression, be open to new ideas as well as be able to interact and socialize with peers (Waller, Diane, and Sibbett, 12-30). From feminist perspective, art therapy empowers woman to strongly fight cancer and be able to share personal experiences to inspire others (Hohan, 50). As can be noted, with postmodernism’s changes, the medical environment became more open to the inclusion of art therapy regardless of lack of research from the medical perspective. Patients voluntarily choose to combine their regular treatment with the usage of complementary medicine in order to restore their mindsets. Burt believes that:
“If art therapy is to become a viable option for symptom management, there must be open-mindedness both on part of the stablished medical community to do the kind of empirical research that demonstrates to the medical community the efficacy of art therapy for symptom management” (Burt, 187).
The creative approach of the therapy brings fun and energizing experience to cancer patients that is often lost in the hospital’s atmosphere due to completions of tests, reviewing the results, and other factors of a regular treatment process (Malchiodi, 13 ). However, the continuation of the research is still required in order to build a strong scientific and humanistic foundation that will reassure the medical system to make the art therapy a mandatory component of oncology programs. It is just a matter of time and a conduction of a few more studies that will influence the addition of art therapy as the main component of a complimentary medicine.