ABSTRACT
Art making allows cancer patients and survivors to understand their bodies as well as their psyche, change their perceptions of illness and health and creatively address their cancer traumas. A cancer diagnosis forces each person to activate his or her personal agency in a new and unfamiliar manner, as each particular cancer is unpredictable. Cancer is one of the most common, potentially life-threatening illnesses that can affect anyone at any time, any age and in any place. Art therapy and art making are two of the more established and effective integrative treatments for adults, teenagers and children who face cancer. Art making in the context of a new and overwhelming situation such as a cancer diagnosis is so effective because it lifts a person out of their sense powerlessness and away from the “medical gaze”, far from the immanence of one’s medical and psychological condition. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
