Inhabited studio: Art therapy and mindfulness, resilience, adversity and refugees

Abstract

This article looks at two refugee women from different countries who took part in the Inhabited Studio, an art therapy and mindfulness studio which follows an imaginative studio approach. Through these women the article highlights the use of mindfulness and art therapy practice in the context of political violence, trauma and resilience. The themes of safety, imagination, art therapy and mindfulness are explored and the distinctive role these can play in work with political violence. By incorporating both art therapy and mindfulness into one model, the Studio was able to adapt to different people, beliefs, copings skills and traumatic experiences.