Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Asya Studies, cilt.6, sa.22, ss.237-248, 2022 (Hakemli Dergi)
Study was prepared to determine the effect of group practices on the alexithymia symptoms
of individuals using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Art Therapy (AT) techniques.
Experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups was used in the study. Individuals who
received high scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and volunteered were assigned to the first
experiment (14), the second experiment (14) and the control group (14) objectively. The study group of
the research consists of second and third year students studying at the psychology department of Istanbul
Gelisim University. Participation in the research is on a voluntary basis. The measurement tools were
applied as a pretest before the application and as a posttest at the end of the application. In the study,
MBCT Program was applied to the first experimental group and AT program was applied to the second
experimental group. Not any procedure was applied to the control group. The experimental process was
applied to both experimental groups once a week, 90 minutes to the MBCT Group, and 120 minutes to
the AT group as 8 sessions. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used to compare the groups among
themselves. The group from which the difference originated was analyzed by the Mann Whitney U Test.
As a result, MBCT Program and AT program were found to be effective in reducing the levels of
alexithymia. There was no remarkable change in the measurements of the individuals in the control
group. When the studies on alexithymia in our country are examined, besides the research of this
concept, the lack of practical studies on this concept draws attention. The idea that group work with art
therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programs designed to reduce alexithymia in the
normal population will make a significant contribution to the field theoretically, practically and
experimentally. It was observed that there wasn’t any significant difference in alexithymia levels
between the two therapy programs. The results, limitations and strengths of the study were discussed
under the leadership of the literature.