can also be a good way for those with general illnesses to express their feelings and emotions through art, when it may or may not be difficult to explain their feelings through words. Art helps give security to emotions to those if they are not comfortable sharing their emotions to others, but can trust a canvas or sheet of paper to hold onto those emotions. Subjective cancer symptoms Many studies have been conducted on the benefits of art therapy on cancer patients. Art therapy has been found useful for supporting patients during the stress of such things as chemotherapy treatment. Art therapists have conducted studies to understand why some cancer patients turn to art making as a coping mechanism and a tool to creating a positive identity outside of being a cancer patient. Women in the study participated in different art programs ranging from pottery and card making to drawing and painting. The programs helped them regain an identity outside of having cancer, lessened emotional pain from their ongoing fight with cancer, and also gave them hope for the future. In a study involving women facing cancer-related difficulties such as fear, pain, altered social relationships, it was found that: Another study showed those who participated in these types of activities were discharged earlier than those who did not participate. Furthermore, another study revealed the healing effects of art therapy on female breast cancer patients. Studies revealed that relatively short-term art therapy interventions significantly improved patients' emotional states and perceived symptoms. Studies have also shown how the emotional distress of cancer patients has been reduced when utilizing the creative process. The women made drawings of themselves throughout the treatment process while also doing yoga and meditating; these actions combined helped to alleviate some symptoms. Another study, with 111 participants, looked at the efficacy of mindfulness-based art therapy, combining meditation with art. The study used measurements such as quality of life, physical symptoms, depression, and anxiety to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. This yielded positive results that there was a significant decrease in distress and significant improvement in quality of life. A review of 12 studies investigating the use of art therapy in cancer patients by Wood, Molassiotis, and Payne (2010) investigated the symptoms of emotional, social, physical, and global functioning, and spiritual concerns of cancer patients. They found that art therapy can improve the process of psychological readjustment to the