THE EFFECT OF ART THERAPY AND MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY PROGRAM ON THE LEVELS OF ALEXITHYMIA OF INDIVIDUALS

Abstract

Study was prepared to determine the effect of group practices on the alexithymia symptoms of individuals using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Art Therapy (AT) techniques. Experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups was used in the study. Individuals who received high scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and volunteered were assigned to the first experiment (14), the second experiment (14) and the control group (14) objectively. The study group of the research consists of second and third year students studying at the psychology department of Istanbul Gelisim University. Participation in the research is on a voluntary basis. The measurement tools were applied as a pretest before the application and as a posttest at the end of the application. In the study, MBCT Program was applied to the first experimental group and AT program was applied to the second experimental group. Not any procedure was applied to the control group. The experimental process was applied to both experimental groups once a week, 90 minutes to the MBCT Group, and 120 minutes to the AT group as 8 sessions. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used to compare the groups among themselves. The group from which the difference originated was analyzed by the Mann Whitney U Test. As a result, MBCT Program and AT program were found to be effective in reducing the levels of alexithymia. There was no remarkable change in the measurements of the individuals in the control group. When the studies on alexithymia in our country are examined, besides the research of this concept, the lack of practical studies on this concept draws attention. The idea that group work with art therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programs designed to reduce alexithymia in the normal population will make a significant contribution to the field theoretically, practically and experimentally. It was observed that there wasn’t any significant difference in alexithymia levels between the two therapy programs. The results, limitations and strengths of the study were discussed under the leadership of the literature.