Date of Award
Spring 5-18-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MAE - Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies
Department
Expressive Therapies
Advisor
Dr. E Kellogg
Abstract
Awareness is an intrinsic element of an individual's existence that can be formed through acts of self-exploration. Through the application of therapeutic interventions and the utilization of the expressive arts, awareness can be further facilitated and grounded into one’s consciousness. The interdisciplinary fields of music, art, and creative expression possess the potential to augment an individual's level of awareness in profound and transformative ways. This proposition is grounded in my own lived experiences of identity exploration and mental health challenges, as well as seven years of dedicated study aimed at fostering a deeper understanding and support for my own subjective experiences. The central idea of this autoethnography is to explore the therapeutic benefits of music and art in enhancing therapeutic awareness. In this context, therapeutic awareness encompasses both, self-awareness in life and the therapist's awareness of the client within the therapeutic process. The integration of the arts within personal experiences and therapeutic sessions can contribute significantly to enhancing awareness, which, in turn, can have a positive impact on major aspects of an individual's life, leading to an improved overall state of being.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ouellette, Eric, "The Benefits of Art and Music on Therapeutic Awareness: An Autoethnographic Study" (2024). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 871.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/871
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The author owns the copyright to this work.
