Abstract

This exploratory research studied the client's experience with 10 to 25 minutes of zazen practice when used in the art therapeutic context as a transitional phase, between checking-in with the therapist and art making. First-person accounts by the researcher and six participants, women over 40 who were chosen for their experience with the Zen art therapy approach, were generated using a questionnaire format. Concepts referenced to substantiate and explain the various findings of this heuristic study are framed by and include Jungian analytic psychology and alchemy, Soto Zen based research and practice, process-oriented psychology, and art therapy. Results indicate that the client is a witness to her zazen process through client-presence, that the checking-in period with the therapist impacts the client's zazen experience, while zazen informs the client's art making process and symbolism. Client movement from an initial state of distraction to concentrated presence and calmness was conceptualized, extending D.H. Shapiro and S.M. Zifferblatt's (1976) model in terms of a six-phase zazen process: (1) focus on breathing; (2) attention wanders; (3) focus returns to breathing; (4) porous states of mind, fluid breathing; (5) quiet mind, presence; and (6) last three minutes, no content and refined content. As well, two modes of client creative engagement were identified: Expressive Reactivity (ER) and Responsive Creativity (RC) . A model of the Zen art therapy treatment approach is proposed. The findings support the use of zazen with an adult mental health population by Zen trained art therapists. Future development of an instrument to quantitatively measure client-presence is recommended