Mandala drawings as an assessment tool for women with breast cancer

Abstract This study integrates art therapy and its relationship to the non-invasive monitoring of breast cancer patients, focusing on the correlation of physical and interpreted emotional state as treatment and follow-up. Fourteen women diagnosed with breast cancer were asked to create mandala drawings at each physician appointment. During each visit, subjects were given a white card with a black circle outline and 15 colored pencils, and were then asked to color the entire circle. Four independent raters evaluated 39 mandalas for color usage, line pressure, and consistency. Twelve of the fourteen participants, based on the mandala assessment, showed a correlation between their physical state and their mandala drawing. Examples from four of the participants are discussed. Results suggest that mandala drawings, as an assessment tool, can give physicians a non-invasive approach to broadening breast cancer treatment. This approach guides the physician to extract valuable information that may be blocked by conscious processes.