Treatment of Patients with Chronic Somatic Symptoms by Means of Art Psychotherapy: A Process Description

Abstract

Background: Inability to express emotions is common in patients with long-lasting somatic symptoms associated with incapacitation and impaired quality of life. One method for treating this inability is art psychotherapy. In this study the typical course in such treatments is described. Patients were followed longitudinally before therapy and every 4th to 6th month during the treatment. Methods: Patients with long-lasting psychosomatic conditions resulting in partial or total loss of working capacity for at least 1 year have been treated in the programme. All of them had chronic pain. The majority of the patients that were referred to us were offered treatment. Three-fourths of those who started treatment stayed in treatment as long as the therapist considered it optimal. Twenty-four patients (22 women and 2 men) in the present study had their treatment started on average 2 years (range 13–42 months) before the end of the treatment period. In addition these 24 patients were contacted 6–48 months after the end of the therapy (average 23 months) and a short post-evaluation was made by telephone. Results: The first year of treatment was characterized by emotional turmoil paralleled by increased energy level reflected in temporary elevation of serum uric acid. Significant improvement was observed with regard to anxiety-depression after one year of treatment. A tendency towards decreased levels of psychosomatic symptoms in general was observed after two years of treatment. One-fourth of the 20 non-working or parttime working patients increased their working activity. Conclusions: A slow partial recovery was observed. Art psychotherapy may have contributed to this.

The BodyMind Approach (BMA) to psychotherapeutic groupwork with patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS): A review of the literature, description of approach and methodology for a pilot study

“…The advantages of creative, non-verbal therapies for this population are further discussed in these forms of therapy which can be seen as offering some specific benefits over verbal therapies, as the clients have, indirectly, the opportunity to disclose and process distressing feelings, thoughts and pain in a less threatening way (Becker, 1977;Bullington et al, 2003;Grossman, 1992). Clinical examples are given to illustrate the therapeutic process in music therapy (Fagen & Wool, 1999;Magill-Levreault, 1993;O'Callaghan, 1996) and art therapy (Grossman, 1992;Theorell et al, 1998). A study by Standley (1992) incorporated quantitative methods to study the effects of music therapy (music listening) on anxiety and nausea during chemotherapy treatment.…”

“…This opens up many possibilities but also makes treatment difficult. Research suggests that verbal (Bleichhardt, Timmer, & Rief, 2004;Creamer, 1999;Ehlert et al, 1999;Grabhorn, 1998;Greene & Blanchard, 1994;Hadhazy et al, 2000;Harrison, Watson, & Feinmann, 1997;Kashner, Rostk, Anderson, & Smith, 1995;Kroenke & Swindle, 2000;Kuechenhoff, 1998;Lidbeck, 2003;Mayou et al, 1997;Milch, 1998;Morley, Eccleston, & Williams, 1999;Scoppola, 1996;Speckens et al, 1995;Temple, Walker, & Evans, 1996;Turner & Jensen, 1993;Warwick, Clark, Cobb, & Salkovskis, 1996), non-verbal (Brown et al, 1989;Bullington et al, 2003;Fagen & Wool, 1999;Grossman, 1992;MagillLevreault, 1993;O'Callaghan, 1996;Standley, 1992;Theorell et al, 1998) and body-orientated therapies (Becker, 1977;Bonadonna, 2003;Browlee & Dattilo, 2002;Bullington et al, 2003;Creamer, 1999;Hadhazy et al, 2000;Jin, 1992;Keel, Bodoky, Gerhard, & Muller, 1998;Majumdar et al, 2002;MuellerBraunschweig, 1998;Nickel et al, 2006;Taggart et al, 2003;…”

Creativity, health and arts advocacy

“…The overriding psychological outcome of arts therapies found in both shamanic and mechanistic approaches -and the outcome of most relevance to arts advocacy -is that artistic creation and arts therapy reduce stress and anxiety (Kozlowska & Hanney 2001;Miller 1998;Theorell et al . 1998;Riley 1996;Roje 1995;Breslow 1993;Foster 1992;Tibbetts & Stone 1990).…”

Fibromyalgia patients’ own experiences of video self‐interpretation: A phenomenological‐hermeneutic study

“…The advantage of such a method from our point of view is the hypothesis that if we could learn to understand how FMS patients think about themselves, we could, together with the patient, help them to find effective treatment tools. For many FMS patients’ verbal therapies may not work out well due to alexithymic problems (inability to describe feelings) and strong defence mechanisms (13, 14). Therefore, the method used in the current study, to let the patients view and verbally interpret themselves, may help them to gain an understanding along with more conscious perceptions of their body language.…”