The healing role of art activities in adults after eartquakes

After natural disasters that may cause traumatic events such as earthquakes, disaster victims may need some solutions to cope with the difficulties they face in social life. Art can be considered as one of the solution tools to these traumatizing events. In this context, artistic activities can be seen as effective in the expression of traumatic phenomena and as an additional support to medical treatments. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the effect of art on coping with trauma. The aim of this study is to investigate the healing role of artistic activities for adults after the earthquake. The sample group of this study consisted of 40 adults who experienced the earthquake/after shocks. Content analysis method was used in the study. In this analysis, semi-structured individual questions were asked to the participants. During the research process, the answers given by the participants were compiled and analyzed and 3 main themes "Emotional Experience", "Mental Experience", "Social Effects" and 7 different sub-themes emerged: "Relaxation Peace", "Emotional Change", "Personal Satisfaction and Happiness", "Personal Satisfaction and Development", "Mental Relaxation and Concentration", "Social Cohesion and Commitment", "Social Support and Relationships". The findings of the study show that engaging in artistic activities after the earthquake contributed to the reduction of stress, relaxation, peace of mind and strengthening of social ties of adults. As a result, it can be concluded that artistic activities should be included in educational programs for psycho-social relief of adults during chaotic and crisis periods. Keywords: Art, adult, earthquake, trauma, therapeutic.