Artistic Self-Exploration: An Autoethnographic Arts-Based Research on the Emotional Burnout of an Art Therapist

This study is an arts-based autobiographical research that explores the process by which an art therapist, who has repeatedly experienced emotional burnout, confronts and understands her inner emotions through artistic expression. Rather than treating burnout as a condition to be avoided or simply overcome, the study frames it as an opportunity for deep self-reflection and emotional reconnection. Art served as a vital medium in visualizing unspoken feelings, allowing the researcher to engage with her emotional landscape and reclaim her sense of self. Through this process, three key themes emerged: ‘A Wave of Emotion That Hit Without Warning,’ ‘The Self That Drives and Forgets Me,’ and ‘I Am My Own Therapist.’ The research addressed two questions First, how has repeated emotional burnout as an art therapist affected my psychological and physical state, and how have these emotions been expressed through art? Second, what meanings of self-care and emotional transformation emerged through the autobiographical arts-based exploration? This study seeks to offer a reflective foundation for emotional labor professionals to recognize their inner selves and initiate a journey toward self-care and recovery.