earticle

영어

The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1)to provide increased understanding of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction(MBSR) for art therapists who are interested in incorporating mindfulness meditation into their interventions, and thus 2)to explore the possible links between MBSR and art therapy. This study gathered data from two main sources of the objective and subjective nature. The objective data came from the literature review in the fields of mindfulness, MBSR and art therapy, and the subjective data from the author's experience as a US-trained MBSR teacher. Since MBSR forms the foundation for MBAT, understanding MBSR as taught in the Center for Mindfulness, where it originated, is crucial. Data gathered through literature review and professional experience led to the following three conclusions: 1)decentering(transcendence), and embodiment(immanence)comprise the two main healing mechanisms of mindfulness meditation, and thus of MBSR; 2)MBSR, which is known to be a very effective mindfulness-based intervention in its own right, can be used integratively with art therapy to create an environment conducive to creativity and openness. The links between mindfulness and art therapy can be found from many approaches in art therapy; 3)if well integrated, MBSR and art therapy can produce synergistic effects for healing because of their complementary nature of emptiness(achieved through seeing things as they are)and creative expression(achieved through active imagination). This study is limited in that no pilot study was conducted and the focus of the study was inclined toward the MBSR aspect, thus leaving many aspects related to MBAT unsolved.