Individuals who experience Gender Dysphoria and feel that their gender identity is incongruent with their sex assigned at birth experience psychological distress due deviation from the societal norm, and Compassion-based Art Therapy combined with mindfulness can help build self-compassion and greater resilience

Syracuse University

- Women with Cancer
- Refugees/ Asylum Seekers
- Children
- College Students
- Coronary Artery Disease Patients
- Gender Variant Individuals
- People with TBI's or Mental Diseases

Populations that Benefit from Mindfulness Based Art Therapy

Gender can be defined as socially constructed characteristics of women, men, people outside the expected binary. Some examples being norms, roles and relationships among and between groups of women and men.



Gender is a nonexplanitory measure, meaning gender can not be counted as the cause of a difference in population statistics. Learned behaviors or differences in physicality, among other things, can be counted as explanitory information.

Gender

Gender identity is an individual's internal, personal sense of being a man, woman, both, or neither. It is a distinct concept from sexual orientation, which relates to attraction, although the two are often mistakenly conflated. While a person's gender identity often corresponds to their sex assigned at birth (based on chromosomes and phenotype), this is not always the case. Gender identity should also not be confused with gender expression, which is the outward presentation of one's gender. It is crucial for clinicians to understand these distinctions and be knowledgeable about gender-affirming care.

Gender Identity

Beaumont, S. L. (2012). Art therapy for gender-variant individuals: A compassion-oriented approach. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 25(2), 1-6.

Art Therapy for Gender-Variant Individuals: A Compassion-Oriented Approach

Refugees who participated in MBAT through Inhabited Studio reported the program helped them cope with PTSD, increase resilience due to the safe, non-judgmental and open environment that Inhabited Studio cultivates.

Mindfulness Based Art Therapy in Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Women who participated in an 8 week MBAT intervention reported a significant decrease in symptoms of distress, including anxiety, depression, hostility, and improved overall mental health

Mindfulness Based Art Therapy for Women with Cancer

Following an 8-week art therapy intervention, children reported decreased mental health problems and increased socio-emotional competence. Parents and teachers reported increased attention and decreased behavioral problems.

Mindfulness Based Art Therapy for Children

Studies have shown that having students practice 5 minutes of mindfulness and 10 minutes of intentional art making could reduce mood disorder symptoms and relieve college students of physiological stress responses

Mindfulness Based Art Therapy for College Students

A 12 session MBAT intervention in Korea resulted in lower levels of depression and anxiety as well as reduced stress levels along with lower blood pressure.

Mindfulness Based Art Therapy for Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy for Gender- Variant Individuals

Studies utilizing Art Therapy  as part of a treatment for brain diseases or injuries can lead to promotion in brain plasticity

Mindfulness Based Art Therapy for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries and other Brain Diseases

The social construction of gender refers to how meanings of gender are created through social interactions and norms. 
- Gender is not innate and is subject to change:
 - Pink used to be a "boy" color and blue was a "girl" color; now pink is considered a "girl" color and blue a "boy" color
 - What is considered gender appropriate is determined collectively
 
Candace West and Don Zimmerman developed this idea that we "do" gender, instead of it being something that we are. They claim this by saying that we "do" gender knowing that we will be judged by others and held accountable for our gender performances. 

The Social Construction of Gender

This refers to the way that different social relations are linked together, examples of these types of social relations are race, gender, class, ability, sexuality, geography, etc. 
- Femininity intersects with ethnicity, religion and nationality:
- Filipino immigrants tend to think of American girls as uncaring and promiscuous, while holding the belief that Filipina girls were sexually modest and dedicated to their families
- This shows that girls are expected to maintain both gender norms and ethnocultural norms

Due to the connection between social relations one cannot look at something like gender and ignore race or ethnicity. 

Intersectional Perspective on Gender

- Institutional Inequality
- Gender and Violence

Gender Inequality

Much of the research has been conducted on binary gender identifying participants. The data has problems with inconsistent results, but it appears that men have greater risk for procrastinating in academic life. 

- men are more likely than women to procrastinate
- women show higher levels of academic performance, correlated with less procrastination
- men's procrastination adversely impacts their performance and satisfaction

Gender differences with procrastination

Gender studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores how all gender identities are developed and how they affect people’s experiences in society.

Gender Studies

Through Vipassana Meditation females, especially non-buddhists, reported experiencing reactions to gender discrimination as well as  increased femininity, despite VM being a non-gendered practice.

Vipassana Meditation and Gender

Men and women are at differential risk for mental illnesses. Different forms of response/adaptation could predispose men and women to different illnesses and health problems, such as psychophysiological differences between men and women in context of stress




Gender, Stress, and Health

Wolf et. al argue that core cultural values moderate gender stereotypes, particularly that stereotypes of men align more closely with this values than those of women. Essentially, key values in a particular culture are more often ascribed to men when compared to cultures that don't share the same values. Thus, stereotypes for men and women vary across cultures in being culturally mediated rather than universal. 

Cultural Values and Gender 

Gender dysphoria is a condition listed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) that is characterized by an individual feeling distress due to their gender identity being different than their sex assigned at birth.

Gender Dysphoria

Intersex is a term used to describe when an individual's sex traits, hormones, or reproductive anatomy differ from the two ways humans usually develop. Sometimes intersex is recognized at birth, but it can also show up later in life. Intersex and transgender are terms that are not interchangeable.

Intersex

Cisgender refers to when an individual identify with their sex at birth. "Cis" as a prefix has the meaning of "on the same side."

Cisgender

Though progress is being made, many people still faces hardship, backlash, discrimination, and violence when they vary their gender identity or expression from the traditional gender norms. 

Challenges in Gender Identity Expression

The case of David Reimer began with the 1965 birth of twin boys, Bruce and Brian Reimer, in Winnipeg, Canada. When Bruce was a few months old, his penis was irreparably damaged during a routine circumcision due to faulty medical equipment. This tragic accident led his parents, Janet and Ronald Reimer, to consult with experts, ultimately connecting them with Dr. John Money at Johns Hopkins University. The family's story has since been widely covered in news reports and documentaries, providing further insight into their experiences.

The Case of David Reimer

Sexual orientation and gender identity are frequently confused, but they represent different facets of a person's identity. Gender identity is one's internal sense of their own gender, whereas sexual orientation is a separate, though related, concept concerning one's attractions to others. Recognizing them as two distinct concepts is crucial to avoid common misconceptions.

Distinction Between Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

The term 'transgender' describes individuals whose personal gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. People who are transgender may use a variety of terms to describe themselves, including the abbreviation 'trans' or identifying as 'non-binary'.

Transgender

For some transgender individuals, transitioning is a process of aligning their life with their gender identity, moving away from living in a manner associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. This process is highly individual and can encompass social, legal, or medical changes. However, it is not a required step, and not all transgender people will pursue any or all of these transition types.

Transitioning for Transgender Individuals

Contemporary understanding of gender identity is in a state of continuous evolution, providing more freedom for exploration and expression than in the past. This shift is particularly evident among younger generations like millennials and Gen Z. For instance, research shows a majority of millennials view gender as a spectrum rather than a binary, with 12% identifying as transgender or gender non-conforming. This evolving perspective is reflected in societal changes, such as the increased use of gender-neutral pronouns like 'they/them' and shifts in commercial practices, where retailers are moving away from gender-segregated marketing for items like toys and clothing.

Evolving Understanding and Expression of Gender Identity

While some cultures, such as the United States, have historically been cisnormative and based on a two-gender system classifying individuals as male or female based on their sex at birth, this is not a universal model. Many other cultures recognize more than two gender categories, with some of these identities being integral parts of their societies for centuries. These non-binary identities often predate modern Western definitions of gender and hold deep cultural significance.

Cultural Variations in Gender Systems

An individual named Kai was designated male on their original birth certificate. Kai enjoys wearing tailored suits, is romantically attracted to women, and has a deeply held, internal conviction that they are a woman. Which of these elements best describes Kai's gender identity?

The term sex assigned at birth is used to describe the legal and medical designation of male or female that is ascribed by doctors to infants at birth based on the presentation of their external genitalia. Assigned Male at Birth (AMAB) and Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB) are used to demark the identification one was give while also being used rhetorically to note the difference between both the sex someone was assigned and what their biological sex is - for instance in the case of intersex individual, and to differentiate between sex and gender identity.

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