Creativity, expression, and healing: an empirical study using mandalas within the written disclosure paradigm

Empirical research regarding the therapeutic value of creative artistic expression in dealing with symptoms from traumatic events is lacking. James Pennebaker has studied the efficacy of written expression regarding traumatic events in promoting mental well-being. Individuals who have difficulties with cognitive processing (e.g., learning disorders) often lack the faculties necessary to form a cohesive written narrative. There are also individuals who lack a strong enough command of written language to engage in a written disclosure task, such as children and those who are illiterate or undereducated. These populations are unlikely to benefit from written disclosure simply because they lack the capacity to write at such a sophisticated level. Disclosure of trauma by such individuals might be better accomplished symbolically through a creative artistic task rather than through written or verbal channels. Furthermore, because the task is symbolic in nature, it may be a safer and more comfortable means of disclosing trauma for individuals who are reluctant to divulge such information out of fear or shame surrounding the event. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the healing aspects of creativity; specifically the usefulness of creating a mandala. It was theorized that mandala drawing may provide the cognitive integration and organization to complex emotional experiences that yield a sense of personal meaning as well as serving as a mechanism of therapeutic exposure, as does the written disclosure task. By reviewing research in this field and attempting to duplicate previous research, this study used undergraduate college students as participants who met the criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The benefits were measured in terms of changes in PTSD symptom severity, depression, anxiety, spiritual meaning, affect, and the frequency of occurrence of physical symptoms and illness. Contrary to expectation, the current study failed to replicate previous results revealing statistically significant outcome differences for the mandala group. In fact, the finding was reversed in that the control group (drawing three objects or a kind of art therapy) showed a significant drop in PTSD symptoms at one-month follow up. Explanations for these differences are explored and future avenues of research outlined