Integrating mindfulness and the expressive arts for meaning making in cancer care: A grounded theory of the processes, facilitators, and challenges

PurposeThere is a growing interest in mindfulness-based expressive arts interventions in oncology, to help patients process their experiences, learn how to live with cancer, and ameliorate psychological distress. Our research purpose was to explore how patients with cancer experience a mindfulness-based expressive arts group intervention, and to articulate individual and contextual factors influencing their experiences.MethodsWe conducted a constructivist grounded theory study and recruited 32 participants who experienced a 10-week mindfulness-based expressive arts group intervention at a tertiary cancer center in mid-Western Canada. We gathered socio-demographic data and descriptions of their experiences through semi-structured interviews. Participants brought art they had created to facilitate art elicitation. Socio-demographic data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and all other data with grounded theory methods.ResultsOur findings revealed how entering the group and meaning making processes through mindfulness enabled participants to let go of their ruminations and calm their minds so they could fully engage in arts activities. Participants found inspiration for their artistic expressions in mindfulness meditation which allowed them to express themselves in new ways. Although this work was challenging, combining mindfulness and the arts created a unique healing space in which individual work was nested within group processes. There were notable personal factors and perspectives that influenced participants' experiences, as well as factors related to the group design and facilitator.ConclusionsOur findings provide insight into how and when this intervention was meaningful for patients, and have important implications to guide ongoing intervention development, implementation, and evaluation.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of cancer patients participating in a mindfulness-based expressive arts group intervention and to identify individual and contextual factors influencing their experiences. Findings revealed that mindfulness facilitated participants in letting go of rumination and calming their minds, allowing them to fully engage in arts activities. The combination of mindfulness and the arts created a unique healing space where individual work was nested within group processes.