Through the Lens of an Anxious Art Therapist: A Heuristic Self-Inquiry
Abby Bohun, BA, DWHEAT
Brandon, MB
Abby Bohun is an art therapist based out of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. She has a Bachelor of Arts, and graduated with an Art Therapy Diploma in February 2023. Abby has been providing art therapy in schools since 2020. She is a professional member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association.
This integrative project includes a heuristic inquiry about my experiences being an art therapist with anxiety and creating a digital art show about these experiences. Following Moustakas’ (1990) six steps of heuristic inquiry, I created a series of ten art images and journaled about them. When I revisited my artwork and journaling, I identified four main themes in my lived experience with anxiety: fight, flight and freeze; the reoccurring sensations; the unknown and developing understanding; and the lack of control versus wanting control.
I created a digital art show of my images to spread awareness, to share space for people going through anxiety, and to provide some insight for people who may be unfamiliar with the experiences of anxiety.
Because experiences of anxiety can be a lifelong journey, my inquiry will continue to be in progress. This self-inquiry has allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of my lived experience. I hope my paper and art show will provide some insight as to what it is like being an art therapist dealing with anxiety.