A grounded theory of how people process their cancer experiences through a mindfulness-based expressive arts group

Abstract

Abstract Background: Given the distress associated with cancer experiences, there is a growing interest in mindfulness-based expressive arts interventions (MBAIs) for promoting patients' well-being. Our research objective was to develop a theoretical understanding of how patients with cancer experience, use, and draw meaning from an MBAI. Methods: We used a constructivist grounded theory research design and gathered narrative descriptions of participants' (N = 32) MBAI experiences through semistructured interviews and field notes. Participants brought the artwork they had created in the group, facilitating art elicitation. Data were analyzed with grounded theory methods. Results: Participants described how the dynamic interplay of mindfulness, the arts, group sharing, and bearing witness facilitated the processing and sharing of hidden thoughts, experiences, and emotions. The group facilitated several unique meaning-making processes, including re-envisioning personal identity within disruption and loss, creating a fitting container for the exploration of diverse emotions, revisiting difficult experiences within the sensitivity of art, and visualizing hope and healing. This process resulted in important learnings and benefits for living in the here and now: relational connections, facing cancer through artistic play, discovering intuition and personal resources, learning an emotional language and a new mindset to move forward, understanding what one needs to heal, and fostering gratitude and hope. Conclusions: MBAIs allowed for a multimodal form of meaning making which facilitated coping, adjustment, and living well with cancer. These findings will enable practitioners to design and implement more effective health services and inform future research about this therapeutically promising approach to psychosocial oncology care.