59.3 Middle Eastern Art: A Way for Emotional Expression and Therapy

Abstract

The goals of this session are as follows: 1) to identify the importance of art in the Middle Eastern culture and its key characteristics; 2) to understand the use of art as a medium of self-expression in the light of the different religions and the changing environment in the Middle East; and 3) to explain how art can be used as a healing and expressive tool when treating Middle Eastern patients, who were exposed to the trauma of existing wars, immigration, and loss.