This research investigates the resistance experience of the participants of group expressive arts therapy. The interview is done to the 8 participants who have the experiences in group expressive arts therapy in order to collect data. The collected data was analyzed by Giorgi's phenomenological method to find out the meaning structure. As a result, 17 sub-elements and 6 core elements were categorized. The main aspects of the resistance experience of the participants of group expressive arts therapy are as follows.
Firstly, the participants felt the resistance against the various arts activities which were used during group expressive arts therapy. The participants felt perplexed to express their inner status using unfamiliar art media, and felt the sense of inferiority to see other members so skilled in expressing themselves.
Secondly, the participants felt frustrated about the pre-regulated structure of group expressive arts therapy and they did not appreciate to follow it and felt bored about the repetitive arts activities. Also, the flow of inner exploration was disconnected when various media were provided and yet the time to work on it was insufficient and the process seemed to be rushing to proceed to the next phase.
Thirdly, the participants experienced the unconscious reactions which were triggered by the arts activities. The issues which they regarded as resolved were re-experienced through the sensations and the images, and they felt painful when the sensations came back to them.
Fourthly, the participants recognized that the resistance came from their unresolved issues and they experienced the healing in the process of endeavor to overcome them. The participants, with their own experience of overcoming the resistance, came to have a deeper understanding for the clients that they encounter in the counseling or group settings. They also experienced the change in themselves in their daily life so as to trust their inner wisdom more than before.
The research result is as follows. The resistance felt during group expressive arts therapy is related to the non-verbal art activities and investigating inner world through sensations. The advantage of this method is that it allows people to reach the memories in their deep unconscious realm. However, it can make them feel threatened as they face those memories which are not filtered through the conscious level. Thus, if the therapist fails to pay close attention and take a delicate care for the group members when they are secretly experiencing resistance so that the members can safely deal with it, the session gets terminated early or the participants end up doing their work superficially that the therapeutic effects are not achieved.
This research is meaningful in that, in the field of group expressive arts therapy where the prior study has been still rare, the meaning of the lively experiences of the research participants is investigated and the therapeutic suggestions were made based on the vivid and concrete experiences of the participants.