The healing journey of forgiveness and expressive arts as facilitator of the forgiveness process
The healing journey of forgiveness and expressive arts as facilitator of the forgiveness process
Loading...
Issue Date
1990
Authors
Bremer, Elizabeth S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study explores the forgiveness process and how the use of expressive arts facilitates the process. Interviews with eight participants are analyzed qualitatively and compared to the literature.
The interviews identified a consistent process of four clearly defined steps. The steps are: (a) to recognize a wound, received from or inflicted upon another specific person; (b) to express one's own emotions, feelings and thoughts in relation to the wounding; (C) to recognize a moral or healing value or purpose of the wound-recognition and of the expression and to choose to cooperate with that value or purpose; and (d) to experience increasing levels of personality integration-- creative integration of emotional affect and lost aspects of personality--resulting in new freedoms, new abilities, and new choices for action, both for oneself and in relation to others.
The expressive arts creative process is shown to facilitate the forgiveness process, and a number of specific applications and contributions of expressive arts methods are explored.
Description
Keywords
Forgiveness--therapeutic use , Arts , Psychology