This thesis examines photographic documentation as a way to explore and understand healing rituals in cross-cultural work.  As art therapists, we increasingly work with a wide range of diverse populations and there is an ongoing need for cultural competency in regards to therapeutic practice.  Learning about the traditional rituals and healing practices of cultures outside of our own can not only help to broaden our competency but also inform the work we do.  Understanding the origins and intention behind these practices, as well as the context in which they are applied can benefit the way we practice and influence the various approaches necessary to meet our clients’ needs.

This thesis serves as a first step toward understanding how traditional non-western healing rituals can inform our work as art therapists.  It offers a review of cross-cultural work in art therapy and an analysis of photography as a tool and method for art therapists doing this type of work.  More importantly, it highlights the significance and implications of working cross-culturally and the need for research and groundwork, before entering into the communities and personal lives of those living in other cultures.

Included in this thesis is an autoethnographic study employing photography as a method to document, analyze and understand the process of fabric dying as an alternative healing ritual. As a result of this self-study, the concept of what it means to be an outsider/viewer/documenter/collaborator and how to approach cross-cultural work with sensitivity using an art therapists’ lens is discussed.

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For a link to the published text, go to: https://digitalcollections.saic.edu/islandora/object/islandora%3Athesis_27286