藝術治療：癌末病患的生命手杖

Art Therapy:The Walking-Stick of Life for Terminal-Ill Patients

本文是透過陪伴個別癌末病患，以「簡單藝術媒材」為媒介，進行以「藝術即治療」(art as therapy)之理論取向為主的藝術治療活動。活動為期八至十次，每次時間約一至一個半小時，總計時間約一至一個半月。研究目的主要是想了解癌末病患面對自身死亡將至之終極困境，其內在之情緒內涵與可能潛藏的心理靈性議題，透過參與藝術治療活動的經驗、感受或改變。研究結果發現：癌末病患經歷藝術創造是「勇敢的體會自己的存在狀態」。透過藝術創作產生「新的現在」和「新的選擇」，尤其創作歷程的自我探索、自我頓悟與創作感動啟動的心靈力量，可以協助促進其存在處境之因應與調適。藝術的想像，一種小小的創造力行為，可以就像是一顆「種子」般有無限成長之可能。癌末病患透過創造性活動即是創造出當下生命自我超越的可能性。

This article is to explore individual experience of an art-therapy program for terminally ill patients. By accompanying the terminally ill patients， we took simple “artistic materials” as the medium， adopting a theoretical approach of “art as therapy，” to conduct 8-10 sessions of 60-90 minutes of art-therapy activities.The aim of this research is to gain understanding of the ultimate situation that terminally ill patients are facing and their internal mood connected with the psychological and spiritual issues that may be hidden. By participating in art therapy sessions， patients experienced existentialfeeling or change. The patients discovered that their venture of art creation enabled them to audaciously experience their self-essence.Throughout the artistic creation brought into “new existence” and “new choice”， especially the mental power generated by self-exploration and self-enlightenment. The power could assist in promoting the existential situation for the patient’s adjustment. The artistic imagination withcreativity behavior served as “the seed” to open the possibilities of infinite development. By means of “the creative activity，” terminally ill patients can thereby achieve the state of “self-healing” transformation.