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Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies: Theory and Practice

Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies: Theory and Practice offers a comprehensive survey of the current applications of mindfulness and meditation along the expressive arts therapies spectrum. The use of mindfulness-based treatments in mind-body medicine (Kabat-Zinn, 1990) and talk therapy has been well documented (Siegel, 2010). Until now there has not been a book describing the range of current mindfulness-based approaches being used in the arts therapies. This publication successfully fills that void. The edited volume is divided into six sections with chapters written by prominent contributors to the field. Each section offers a different perspective from which to view the integration of mindfulness practices with therapeutic creative process. In Part One Rappaport, along with Kalmanowitz, provide a working definition of mindfulness and review the history of mindfulness in mind-body medicine. They discuss the integration of mindfulness skills with other forms of psychotherapy including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In Part Two, McNiff and Allen offer insights into how intentional, present moment awareness is cultivated in the expressive arts therapies. Both writers describe not only the therapeutic benefits for clients of integrating mindfulness and art making, but also articulate how the clear seeing that results from engagement in mindfulness practice enhances therapists’ capacity as witness. McNiff uses the termmindful witnessing and refers to a therapist in session as “the presence of another person who helps to establish and hold creative space largely through silent and contemplative witnessing” (p. 43). Allen describes how the intention, attention, and attitude mechanisms of mindful meditation appear as elements in her Open Studio Process in the forms of witness writing and witness consciousness. The nine chapters in Part Three provide examples of mindfulness practices integrated with a variety of arts therapies modalities. Each chapter is organized into sections covering theoretical framework, clinical application, case example, and conclusion. As an art therapist who is also a meditation instructor, my impression is that the authors of some chapters have logged some real time on the meditation cushion and know the practices they offer their clients from the inside out. They have a level of sensitivity to the nuances of mindfulness practice that cannot be learned by reading about mindfulness or attending training workshops alone. The importance of a personal commitment to mindfulness practice is identified and emphasized by a number of the authors. Some chapters present a sensitive, well thought out, and intricately interwoven synthesis of mindfulness practice and arts therapies. In other instances it appears the work described simply involved adding a superficial layer of meditation or mindful awareness training onto an existing protocol. Outstanding chapters include Peterson’s “Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy: Applications for Healing With Cancer,” which is filled with inspired and carefully planned interventions. The subtle work described in Tantia’s “Mindfulness and Dance/Movement Therapy for Treating Trauma” case study and Fox’s thoughtful chapter on poetry therapy are thoroughly captivating. The spaciousness and grace described in Chapter 10 about the Assisi Model silent retreat for people with cancer is inspiring. Finally, Isis’s chapter on an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for an outpatient psychiatric program fluidly integrates psychodrama, sociometry, movement, and visualization activities with the visual arts. Part Four presents arts therapies approaches that are mindfulness-based. At times it was difficult to ascertain why a modality was placed here rather than in the previous section, given that almost all of the arts have historically been used as forms of contemplative practice (Trungpa, 1996). Highlights from this section include Rothaus’s meticulously written chapter on Hakomi Experiential Psychotherapy and Avstreih’s succinct discussion of inner and external witness in the chapter “Authentic Movement and Mindfulness.” I also appreciated the attention to detail in von Daler and Schwanbeck’s chapter relating specific art activities to each of the key Dialectical Behavior Therapy skill modules as well as the editor’s well-considered chapter on Focusing-Oriented Arts Therapy. In a brief section on education and training, Franklin explains how mindful awareness is cultivated as part of the clinical training in the art therapy program at Naropa University. Beardall and Surry introduce Relational Mindfulness in the training of dance/movement therapists. The book concludes with a very helpful chapter on neuroscience, which offers a biological context to the work previously described. An extensive appendix provides step-by-step instructions for a number of mindfulness practices and music resources for Music and Imagery sessions.