In Search of Homoeostasis: Arts-Based Inquiry on Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy.

This arts-based heuristic inquiry explores the somatic and emotional experiences of integrating the focusing-oriented method into the creative process. Through Moustakas’ (1990) six-step inquiry and Rappaport’s (2009) focusing-oriented art therapy method, the researcher (who is a student art therapist) examines her own somatic and emotional interaction with the focusing technique coined by Gendlin (1996a). Over a six-week period, the arts-based exploration was divided into two phases. The first part involved regular focusing sessions followed by art-making. The resulting images were divided into themes related to emotions and somatic responses, as well as the body-mind relationship. The first part of the research was an inspiration for the second part, which was a weekly creation of a large-scale canvas. The art process was assessed weekly through the video-recording of the sessions with the Art Therapy Self-Inquiry Scale (ATSI) and the Expressive Therapies Continuum Observation Tool (Hinz, Riccardi, Gotshall & Nan, 2017). The purpose of the research is to explore how focusing can serve as a visual representation of the author’s somatic and emotional experiences. The findings indicated that access to the visual representation of the body while creating in a focused setting could help foster a better understanding of inner experiences. Furthermore, four different concepts emerged from the research: active, inactive, liminal, and uncertain. This is further reinforced through the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) framework as it provides parallels into the felt sense through the author’s inner representation of the art process explored, thus pointing to the value of applying the ETC Assessment under a focusing paradigm to explore the mind and body relationship