The American Cancer Society reports that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. One of the realms in which art therapists practice and in which there is a great deal of interest, both within the profession and among related professionals, is in work with cancer patients and their families. This text is a vivid memoir of the author’s own cancer diagnosis within the past year. The book is divided into five sections: (1) a brief passage about Creative Expression; (2) the daily journal the author kept along with digressions into issues of concern; (3) surviving, discussions of the follow-up experience in the year after treatment and further significant issues; (4) Cancer Land, the altered book created by the author consisting of paintings and collages of her treatment, accompanied by a CD-ROM of the images in full color (located at the back of the book); and (5) a discussion of writing and making art about the author’s own cancer journey with a comparison of these two modes of expression, in which her experience of each was vastly different from the other. For the author, writing and making art were her saviors in times of trouble or pain in the past, so it was only natural for her to turn to them to help her through the cancer challenge to her life. Dealing with serious illness and the threat of death is a part of the human experience, and more than other prevalent illnesses, cancer conjures up fears of suffering, helpless debilitation, and death. This book will be meaningful and of interest to art therapists, other mental health professionals, medical professionals, counselors, the family unit, and all human service providers. Contents: 1. Introduction
2. Creative Expression
3. In the Clutch of the Crab: A Cancer Journal
4. Surviving
5. Cancer Land: An Altered Book for an Altered Life
6.Writing and Making Art
Appendix: History of Altered Books
References
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