MANDALA THERAPY: HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Dear Editor, Art therapy is a useful method for integrating conflicting emotions like anxiety and promoting healthy functioning in various diseases and situations (1). One of the techniques used in art therapy is mandala coloring, which has received much attention from researchers today. In most of the studies, there is no mention of the exact way of coloring the mandala and its steps, and since there is not enough information, it can cause situational anxiety; Therefore, it is suggested that in future studies, a written intervention program should be used to perform mandala coloring. Same as what was used in Kari et al. 'S research. In their study, they investigated the effectiveness of different types of artistic activities, including mandala therapy, in reducing students' anxiety, and for this purpose, they used a written intervention program that included familiarizing the participants with the goals and process of coloring, raising the level situational anxiety is coloring and reducing anxiety and ending the meeting and getting feedback (2). Cone cells and cylinder cells are both light-sensitive cells in the human retina. Cone cells are also responsible for color vision in the retina, just as they are responsible for other visual tasks (3). In addition, the cone cells of the eye, which are responsible for color vision, are usually more active in bright light (4). Staining in the morning or under adequate artificial light is better than staining in the evening, at night, and/or under weak light. It is suggested in future studies to stain at the beginning of the morning. The color contrast mechanism states that in conditions with high contrast, the color of the central region depends on the intensity and spatial frequency of the surrounding colors (5). Also based on the nature of colors and paying attention to the fact that warm colors tend to expand and radiate outwards and cold colors tend to contract and radiate inwards (6). Therefore, in coloring mandalas, it is suggested that the participants use warm colors (such as red) more in the center of the mandala schemes and use cold colors (like blue) around it to establish a balance and achieve a balanced self-concept and reduce anxiety, as well as a better understanding of the colors used by creating a better contrast between the colors. Given the impact of this method on reducing anxiety and psychological factors in various studies, and the ease, availability, and practicality of this method, it is recommended that future studies improve the effectiveness of mandala coloring. It is important to carefully consider the application method, time, and method.