Creative Arts in Education and Therapy
August 23, 2022
Tripura Kashyap, Anubha Doshi, Artsphere, India; Soulsphere, India et al.
2 citations
A movement therapy model combining dance, expressive arts, and Buddhist brahmaviharas (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity) was developed to support mental health and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The model includes body preparatory routines, mindful movement, body scans, embodiment practices, gratitude rituals, visual art, and props, all adapted for virtual delivery. The article argues that embodying Buddhist concepts through movement can concretize meditative practices in the mind-body continuum, enhancing well-being amid unpredictable life changes.
Creative Arts in Education and Therapy
December 28, 2025
Krystal Demaine, Amelia R. Castelli
Creating mixed-media collages in response to meditations in natural outdoor environments can deepen self-understanding, vulnerability, and connection to nature. An arts-based research method was conducted in four phases: daily meditation in natural settings, documented by photography, sketches, and journals; then responding to those images with mixed-media art-making. Five collages were made from magazine clippings, tissue paper, pastel, acrylic paint, and pen on paper bags, vellum, and transparent Mylar. The layered, translucent collages are intended to bring viewers into a meditative state and prompt reflection on inner awareness and relationships to the natural environment.
Creative Arts in Education and Therapy
February 1, 2021
Sarah Y. C. Chu
Drawing on Buddhist psychology, specifically the theory of five ever-present mental states, this article argues that art-making increases the capacity for intuitive thinking and connects feelings with logical thinking within expressive arts therapy. Part I proposes how this framework can enhance internal space for processing emotion and cognition. Part II describes a series of workshops called 'Expressive Arts as Inquiry' held in Hong Kong for adults from diverse backgrounds. Two case studies illustrate how the art-making process led participants to new ways of thinking, awareness of their mental states, and sense-making through art.
Creative Arts in Education and Therapy
December 28, 2024
Lucy Draper-Clarke, Caryn Green
An exploratory study of Southern African contemplative traditions, which are sound- and movement-based and conducted in community settings, found that synchronized movements, vocalization, and multisensory listening during indigenous rituals enabled experiences of self-transcendence, connection, and social cohesion. Thematic analysis of phenomenological data from a research retreat identified four recurring threads: sacred sense of purpose, nervous system self-regulation and co-regulation, enhancement of pro-social qualities, and community cohesion. The authors propose that embodied rituals and arts-based therapies, alongside mindfulness practices, could enhance personal well-being and build community cohesion.