Co-creative art processes with patients: A theoretical framework and qualitative study among artists

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Art Therapy
• Oncology

Background:

• A cancer diagnosis is often a contingent life event, disrupting a patient's established life narrative.
• Integrating such disruptive events is crucial for psychological well-being and narrative coherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how co-creative art processes, involving artists and patients, can support the integration of contingent life events.
• To investigate the role of co-creation in helping patients reframe their life stories after a cancer diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 10 professional artists.
• Template analysis using AtlasTi software to analyze interview data.

Main Results:

• Co-creation emerged as a distinct form of support for integrating experiences of contingency.
• Patients demonstrated self-transcendence by shifting perspectives and transcending previous life narratives.
• The co-creative art process facilitated the formation of new, integrated life narratives.

Conclusions:

• Co-creative art offers a unique therapeutic avenue for patients facing life-altering events like cancer.
• Self-transcendence within the co-creation process is pivotal for integrating contingency into life narratives.
• Art-based co-creation can empower patients to reconstruct their life stories and adapt to new realities.