Integrating Phenomenological Psychopathology and Group Visual Art Therapy for Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing need to translate insights from phenomenological psychopathology into psychotherapeutic practice. Phenomenology offers a deeper understanding of the lived experience of psychosis, and this understanding can render psychotherapy more individualized, empathically attuned, and recovery oriented by attending to experiential dimensions that conventional, symptom-focused approaches may overlook. In this study, we report qualitative findings of patients' lived experiences of group visual art therapy, which we conceptualize as structured phenomenological art therapy. This approach was informed by insights from phenomenological psychopathology and designed specifically for psychiatric patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. This approach can be considered nested within arts-based phenomenological research. METHODS: The structured phenomenological art therapy was offered to 15 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The intervention involved twelve structured sessions. The course of therapy was systematically documented, and each patient's experiences were examined through a combination of direct observation, in-depth interviews, and solicited diaries. The study adopted a qualitative research design, structured as a multiple or plural case study. RESULTS: The results indicate that visual art can serve as a therapeutic medium, facilitating self-exploration, and contribute to the construction of narrative identity. Engaging in artistic expression helped patients articulate their emotions, gain new perspectives, and cultivate a sense of hope. The therapeutic process also fostered interpersonal communication and shaped patients' perceptions and experiences of others. CONCLUSION: During the structured phenomenological art therapy, several patients identified key personal challenges amenable to change, a core objective of psychotherapy, demonstrating the intervention's potential for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.