This research project studied the effects of Clearing a Space with Art, a Focusing Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT) approach (Rappaport, 2009) on women with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that Clearing a Space with Art would lead to measurable decreases in anxiety, depression and stress, increases in mindful awareness, decreases in pain intrusion and pain perception, and increases in pain accommodation. The study also hypothesized that the practice of FOAT would be perceived as beneficial to chronic pain sufferers thereby promoting its increased use and further research into its benefits.
Research was conducted in a group setting over the course of three sessions. The participants consisted of eight females who experience chronic pain, ranging in age from 32 to 82. Measurable depression decreased, mindful awareness and attention increased, and perceived pain decreased. Additionally, the majority of participants found Clearing a Space with Art to be relaxing and stated it would be a useful tool in their pain management.
","abstract_html":"<p>This research project studied the effects of Clearing a Space with Art, a Focusing Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT) approach (Rappaport, 2009) on women with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that Clearing a Space with Art would lead to measurable decreases in anxiety, depression and stress, increases in mindful awareness, decreases in pain intrusion and pain perception, and increases in pain accommodation. The study also hypothesized that the practice of FOAT would be perceived as beneficial to chronic pain sufferers thereby promoting its increased use and further research into its benefits.</p> <p>Research was conducted in a group setting over the course of three sessions. The participants consisted of eight females who experience chronic pain, ranging in age from 32 to 82. Measurable depression decreased, mindful awareness and attention increased, and perceived pain decreased. Additionally, the majority of participants found Clearing a Space with Art to be relaxing and stated it would be a useful tool in their pain management.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McGrath, Jenny"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Art Therapy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC","Laury Rappaport, ATR-BC, REAT"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:06:30Z","subjects":["Art Therapy","Chronic Pain","Counseling Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-print-theses/257","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC","Laury Rappaport, ATR-BC, REAT"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McGrath, Jenny"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-09-27T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Art Therapy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Art Therapy","Chronic Pain","Counseling Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-print-theses/257"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This research project studied the effects of Clearing a Space with Art, a Focusing Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT) approach (Rappaport, 2009) on women with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that Clearing a Space with Art would lead to measurable decreases in anxiety, depression and stress, increases in mindful awareness, decreases in pain intrusion and pain perception, and increases in pain accommodation. The study also hypothesized that the practice of FOAT would be perceived as beneficial to chronic pain sufferers thereby promoting its increased use and further research into its benefits.
Research was conducted in a group setting over the course of three sessions. The participants consisted of eight females who experience chronic pain, ranging in age from 32 to 82. Measurable depression decreased, mindful awareness and attention increased, and perceived pain decreased. Additionally, the majority of participants found Clearing a Space with Art to be relaxing and stated it would be a useful tool in their pain management.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["CAS with Art and Chronic Pain: The Effects of Clearing a Space with Art on Women with Chronic Pain"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC","Laury Rappaport, ATR-BC, REAT"],"dc:creator":["McGrath, Jenny"],"dc:date.available":["2021-09-27T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This research project studied the effects of Clearing a Space with Art, a Focusing Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT) approach (Rappaport, 2009) on women with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that Clearing a Space with Art would lead to measurable decreases in anxiety, depression and stress, increases in mindful awareness, decreases in pain intrusion and pain perception, and increases in pain accommodation. The study also hypothesized that the practice of FOAT would be perceived as beneficial to chronic pain sufferers thereby promoting its increased use and further research into its benefits.
Research was conducted in a group setting over the course of three sessions. The participants consisted of eight females who experience chronic pain, ranging in age from 32 to 82. Measurable depression decreased, mindful awareness and attention increased, and perceived pain decreased. Additionally, the majority of participants found Clearing a Space with Art to be relaxing and stated it would be a useful tool in their pain management.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/art-therapy-print-theses/257"],"dc:subject":["Art Therapy","Chronic Pain","Counseling Psychology"],"dc:title":["CAS with Art and Chronic Pain: The Effects of Clearing a Space with Art on Women with Chronic Pain"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Art Therapy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:06:30Z"}