Art Therapy in Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Abstract
Art has always been more than an aesthetic tool; it has served as a medium for expressing suffering, facilitating psychological healing, and reconstructing individuals' lived experiences. Among individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), verbalizing traumatic experiences is often challenging. Consequently, the language of images, colors, and creative expression can provide a meaningful avenue for revealing the hidden dimensions of psychological distress. The present study employed a qualitative approach using the Grounded Theory methodology to explore the lived experiences of individuals with PTSD who participated in painting therapy and color therapy. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The findings indicated that, for the participants, art was not merely a creative activity but rather functioned as a safe space for expressing repressed memories, facilitating emotional release, and reconstructing the meaning of traumatic experiences. The core category that emerged from the analysis was “reconstructing the self through imagery", which was organized around themes including emotional release, the restoration of a sense of control, experiencing calmness through engagement with color, rebuilding a trauma-affected identity, and fostering hope for the future. Participants reported that the process of creating images and interacting with colors contributed to a reduction in anxiety, a decrease in the intensity of intrusive traumatic recollections, and an overall improvement in psychological well-being. The findings of this study suggest that painting therapy and color therapy can serve not merely as therapeutic interventions, but as artistic and meaning-making experiences that facilitate the psychological healing of individuals with PTSD. Within this process, suffering is transformed into imagery, and imagery, in turn, becomes a means of reconstructing one's life.
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