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Creative writing as a means to recover from early psychosis- Experiences from a group intervention
Kristin Lie Romm1,2, Oddgeir Synnes3, Hilde Bondevik4
1Early Intervention in Psychosis Advisory Unit for South East Norway, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Background:
In this paper, we explore the subjective experiences of a group intervention in creative writing (CW) for young adults being treated for psychosis.
Method:
A qualitative and exploratory design was applied. Five out of eight patients who were offered a course in CW with two-hour weekly sessions for 12 weeks took part in this study. The five participants who followed through were interviewed after project termination. Systematic text condensation was applied to the transcribed interviews.
Results:
The analysis revealed three overarching themes: a) the group was valued as a creative community, b) there was safety in the structured yet flexible framing of the course, c) the participants experienced creative freedom that enabled a feeling of mastery.
Conclusion:
CW was well conceived. The feelings of connectedness and mastery were prominent. The participants experienced growth on several levels. Our findings support previous work on arts therapy as a means to recovery.
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