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Art as Therapy for Cancer Patients
Through Trascendiendo (in English, Transcending), we work with cancer patients and their families to create a culture of self-help, using creativity as a means to foster positive communication in situations that, in the majority of cases, generate huge amounts of stress.
Trascendiendo encourages the development of internal emotional processes such as self-esteem and motivation to achieve positive health outcomes. Using a holistic methodology, our approach can be applied in a variety of situations: family, social, cultural, artistic, and individual. We seek to expand the perception and quality of life of participants through developing the skills and commitment needed to maintain positive communication with oneself and society through teamwork, sharing new situations, and achieving individual goals.
Trascendiendo grew out of our desire, as committed health professionals, to utilize art therapy to generate resilience and to create shared environments focusing on emotional health. We are humbled by the results so far - having reached nearly 4,000 people - and hope to provide more opportunities for people to understand that cancer can produce unimaginable creations, more responsibility, and a desire for preserving peace and healthy living. In short, the project incorporates all the factors that influence the formation of our identities, whether as patients, companions, or volunteers in a situation that is so difficult to bear.
The artistic activity that takes place in a therapeutic environment has different goals and objectives than art in the traditional sense. The incorporation of art, in this case, has the clear goal of treatment and is carried out in the presence of a therapist. In the case of art therapy, the person and the process are the most important elements, above the art product, given that art is used as a means of nonverbal communication. Thus, many different artistic disciplines can be adapted to include a therapeutic focus with the goal of helping patients share their feelings, thoughts, emotions and imagination. The more we externalize our feelings, the more likely we are to generate strategies to come to peace with our environment and its challenges.
One of our participants, a 27-year-old mother of two was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia in 2009. She first experienced Trascendiendo while being hospitalized for treatment. She attended our craft workshops and eventually started selling her creations to generate needed income while her dentistry studies were put on hold. She credits Trascendiendo with providing her with greater emotional and psychological stability through creating a safe space in which she could express her feelings and make new friends.
In addition to art therapy activities, we are working on creating a monthly magazine highlighting participants' autobiographies and other texts they have created as part of the therapeutic process. We also plan to add puppet show activities to create another space for participants to express their feelings and emotions.
Much evidence exists about the benefits of this approach on participant's resiliency, healing, and happiness. For example, we have found that participants demonstrate more and better social skills, acceptance of life, and increased quality of the life. We believe that creativity is an essential tool to ensure self-reflection and healing. Now, in a world of more psychological than physical illnesses, we have begun to embrace old theories as new practices to provide support to those suffering from diseases that take an emotional toll on their patients. We know that, for the individual, it can be almost impossible to live after receiving a disheartening medical diagnosis, and that it becomes difficult to focus on positive health outcomes in this weakened state. Therefore, we focus on creating new avenues for patient and family communication - spaces that unite body and mind through the imagination and the transformation of raw materials into works of art. These works of art provide participants with an opportunity to leave a legacy and for those around them to understand their feelings, thoughts, and perceptions of life.
Above all, we want to remind you: "Do not forget that man is creator of his destiny as a great work of art."
Nancy Amado Soto is co- founder of Transendiendo and in 2009 was recognized with the UVM Prize for Social Development in Mexico, part of the YouthActionNet® global network.
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