Abstract

This inquiry explored the experience of the researcher’s bereavement of her mother. The aim was to see if the use of art could help sustain the existence of an inner relationship with the deceased. The theory of attachment and the continuing bonds bereavement theory were used to support this research. Looking at how involvement in creative art making might affect the connection with the attachment figure that passed away, the researcher engaged in a heuristic art-based research. This way of committing to cognitive, affective and visual spheres influenced personal reflections and art work. The process is described through the six phases of Moustakas’s (1990) heuristic methodology. Data was collected in the form of paintings and journal notes. The researcher discusses the awareness and experiences that surfaced during and after the practice of art. The main theme that stood out was the illness that led to the loss. New insights and understandings embodied with painting revealed that the attachment style with the caregiver influences the continuing bonds post-death. Here, an avoidant attachment response with the deceased did not grant the art making to promote a continuing relationship with the mother that passed away. Nonetheless, this disillusionment allowed the researcher to integrate the reality of her loss. The findings confronted the author with her truth.
Key Terms: Art therapy, Attachment figure, Bereavement, Grief, Continuous bonds, Art practice