Flowing towards freedom with multimodal creative therapy: The healing power of therapeutic arts for ex cult-members.

• This study uniquely investigates ex cult-members' experiences of a creative therapy workshop. • Flow states were measured in creative therapy activities and explored with participants. • Multimodal arts within a pluralistic therapeutic framework enabled Flow and goal attainment. • Therapeutic arts can support individuals surviving, transcending and healing from cultic abuse. • Research recruitment and novel methods can trigger ex-cult members' suspicion and resistance. Creative arts can play an important role for cult survivors in surviving, transcending and healing from their past realities. Flow – an empowering state of mind-body integration and skilful, intuitive action while engaged in a challenging yet enjoyable task (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997) – may be an important mechanism in arts therapies and may be especially impactful as an experience for cult survivors. Research reporting on arts therapies for cult survivors, Flow in cult survivors and Flow in arts therapies is currently severely lacking. This study reports on a multimodal creative psychological therapy, Arts for the Blues, piloted as a workshop with a small group of cult survivors. Results obtained from three participants show that they experienced Flow in their creative activities and increased attainment in a self-selected personal goal. Interviews with two participants reveal important considerations for working with cult survivors, the healing power of the arts, the attainment of Flow states in the process, and the impact of the Arts for the Blues approach. This study is the first of its kind to trial art therapies with ex cult-members, or to document participants' views on Flow states during an arts therapy approach. Although limited by a small sample size, further research is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]