Positive effects of creating mandalas

The purpose of the present master’s thesis is to examine the psychological effects of creating mandalas and to give recommendations for a better use of the mandalas in the practice of art assistance in order to help in this way others and oneself. Mandalas are sacred symbols, used in Hinduism and Buddhist religion practices as tools for meditation and concentration. They are geometrical representations of the creation of the cosmos and schemas of all that was created. Jung sat the foundations of the work practice with mandalas in psychosocial practice. He discovered that mandalas spontaneously appear in the situations in which psychical balance is destroyed, in moments of distress and disorientation. They have a calming effect on people. They bring order and facilitate psychical integration. For Jung mandalas are visual representations of the whole of our psyche and symbols with which the archetype of the Self, the archetype of wholeness, meaning and orientation, express itself. Based on Jung’s theories on mandalas a lot of studies have been conducted. Studies confirmed the positive effects of creating mandalas and their use spread from psychotherapy to pedagogic, supervision and art therapy practice. Professionals uses mandalas in order to reduce anxiety; trigger a relaxation response, which is very important when dealing with stress; stimulate the processes of self-awareness and enable the expression of painful emotions associated with traumatic situation. First part of the master’s thesis consists of a theoretical research in which we analyze and compare findings from the existent literature about mandalas to prove that creating mandalas has a positive impact on human psyche. We try to find out how mandalas operate on a symbolic, archetype and visual level. Methods uses in the study are descriptive analyses and analyses of pictorial material. Second part of the master’s thesis is a manual for the use of mandalas in help with art workshops and for self-help. On the basis of literature and direct experiences, more precisely help with art practice with mental ill people from the association Šent in Šempeter near Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and in the Center of mental health in the psychiatric hospital in Gorizia (Italy) we try to define the directions for a practical use of mandalas. Moreover, in the thesis are also described three different ways of working with mandalas: colouring pre-structured mandalas, creating mandalas and drawing within the circle. At the end there is a presentation of a mandala test that was conducted as a tool in order to recognize clients’ emotions and their strength. An art exercise in which clients faced their emotions follows the test