Date of Award

Spring 5-2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy

Committee Director

Matthew Bernier

Committee Member

Nelda Chafitelli

Abstract

The chakra system, an Eastern philosophy relating to an individual’s health, energy, and consciousness, has been integrated into the healing practices of psychology, meditation, yoga, and alternative medicine. Dale (2005), Judith (1996), and Myss (1996) described the chakra energy system as focal points embedded within the human energy system that regulate all components of the self. Researchers in complementary therapies and energy medicine have long been interested in how the integration of this system affects the progression of disease, human behavior, and emotional disturbances. However, although rich in symbolism and metaphor, no literature has been found demonstrating the use of the chakra energy system in the practice of art therapy. The purpose of this study was to gain a personal understanding of the chakra system through an art based heuristic exploration and to further explore implications for art therapy practice.

My eight week self-study was divided into two 4-week sessions and enacted seven days a week in thirty-minute morning sessions. The first four-week session of art and journal writing were documented. During the first four-week session, I made art and journaled every day for 30 minutes. During the second four-week session, each morning I meditated on the heart chakra for 20 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of artmaking and journaling. After 8 weeks, and a 7-day incubation period, a content analysis was conducted on the artwork, which was all collages and journal writing. The emerging themes were categorized and correlated according to Myss’s (1996) Chart on Energy Anatomy and Judith’s (1996) Chart of Chakra Characteristics. The prominent color characteristics found in the collages were correlated to Dale’s (2007) Chakra Diagnosis Color Chart.

The personal process offered a means to interpret my emotional process during an emotional crisis. Though future research is indicated, the symbols and characteristics of chakra theory provided a symbolic means to identify, interpret, and organize personal themes, which may offer implications for the use of the chakra system as a tool in art therapy practice.

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DOI

10.25777/qc46-z750

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