Abstract
This article presents findings from a study of the therapeutic effects of group art therapy in a psychotherapy unit of a Russian hospital for war veterans. The researchers randomly assigned 112 veterans being treated for stress-related disorders to an experimental group (art therapy) and a control group. The emphasis was on the use of humor in the Draw A Story assessment and the Silver Drawing Test with respect to cognition, emotions, creativity, and self-image. Findings included a high frequency of humorous responses in both groups, and an increase of humor in the art therapy group post treatment. Results suggest that image formation and artistic activity foster cognitive and creative problem solving and increased self-esteem, and that humor serves as an important therapeutic function in this population.
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