人生四味故事盒：給精神疾患者的藝術課程

Abstract

作為一名藝術教育工作者，研究者認為藝術是探究生命本質的一種方法，藝術能否讓精神疾患者獲得正向的復元力量，透過藝術課程的實踐，將社群陪伴的力量化為提供彼此自信與心靈健康的養分是本研究的核心價值。研究者自身是精神疾患者家屬，後來也認識了幾位患精神疾病的朋友，意識到精神疾患者議題常受到忽視和錯誤理解，研究者於2019年開始在台北市心生活協會擔任藝術志工，投入精神疾患者關懷的服務，同時在隸屬於其下的心朋友工作坊帶領藝術手工藝課程，進而發展「人生四味故事盒」課程。創作能讓精神疾患者得以開展認知及抒發情感，在心境平穩丶環境安全的情況下進行創作，使得參與者能夠在課程中省思自己的生命經驗，思考「精神疾患者」這個身分以外，自己有著什麼樣的故事，透過創作丶思考丶表達的歷程，多數的精神疾患者在創作過程中，並不受限於自己的病患身分，反而能從「四味」的探索中連結許多關於自己的故事，將自己所想抒發的事物表現出來，在身體功能性的進步以及自信心提升都有明顯的正向轉變。研究者認為在這個研究中，教學者和參與者之間的信任關係丶合適的媒材丶穩定的課程結構丶對於創作的開放態度，都是能夠順利完成課程最大的關鍵。有鑑於「信任感」為貫穿本藝術課程的重要因素，建議未來研究此類課程設計時，教學者應具備同理心和彈性，將參與者視為學習的主體，隨時面對不可抗的發病，並且不斷修正課程進行的方式以適合參與者的需求。藝術課程能提供人們透過創作認識自己，並且從多元與創意當中看見自身的獨特性是本研究最重要的價值。

As an art educator, I believe that art functions as a medium to explore the essence of life. The core value of this research is to find out whether art brings benefits of recovery for people with psychotic disorders. Through the art curriculum, I emphasize on the power of community companionship providing confidence and mental health in the making of art.One of my family members and several friends of mine are people with psychotic disorder. I experience the issues and situations of people with psychotic disorders and find them overlooked and misunderstood in our society. Therefore, I expected myself to serving the psychotic patients, by volunteering at Taipei City Heart Life Association in 2019.At first I tried to lead curriculum of some handmade crafts. Gradually, I developed and taught a series of art activities"The quartet box of the flavors of life" was developed from my teaching and became the formal study of this research. Creation allows people with psychotic disorders to develop their cognition and express their own emotions, creating a more stable mood and a safer environment for them. Participants were empowered to reflect on their own life experiences during the art curriculum. Thinking about meanings of life and expressing their feelings. Through the process of creating, thinking, and expressing, most participants in this research stepped outside of their comfort zones and explored the four flavors, sweet, sorrow, bitter and painful experiences, of their life. The art works created by participants showed their personal creative expressions. Positive changes such as the improvement of physical functions and self-confidences were identified in the end.The researcher believes that in this research, with trust relationship between researchers and participants, appropriate media, an adaptable curriculum structure, and an open-minded attitude towards all kinds of possibilities are keys to complete the curriculum. In view of the facts,"trust" is the most important factor throughout this art curriculum. Empathy, flexibility, treating participants as learning subjects, and constantly modifying lesson plans to suit the needs of the participants are suggested. Art empowers people to understand themselves through embodied experiences, and identify their own uniqueness and creativities.