1 Department of Applied Human Sciences, Concordia University, Canada. Electronic address: rosemary.reilly@concordia.ca.
2 Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, McGill University Health Centre, Canada.
3 Cedars CanSupport, Montréal, Canada.

Objectives: This article presents the findings of a pilot study situated in a tertiary care cancer centre and examines the impact of an art therapy group on the experiences of women living through breast cancer.

Study design: The study design used in this study is a qualitative cross-case comparative case.

Methods: Ten women were interviewed about their experiences making art, many for the first time. Interviews were transcribed and analysed, along with the participants' artist statements.

Results: Categories include the following: the significant benefits of art therapy on their sense of self-efficacy; the emotionally enhancing nature of making art for the first time; the power of their artwork to trigger insights about themselves (including subcategories of self-actualization, existential growth, and post-traumatic growth) or in communicating their experiences to loved ones; and how making art changed their worldview and life philosophies, creating doorways of possibilities.

Conclusion: This study suggests that art therapy provides a safe context to reflect on profound personal changes and to re-story losses following adversity through creative practices as a dimension of care.