Art therapy offers a unique way to explore emotions, develop self-awareness, and better understand our internal experiences. While traditional psychotherapy often relies primarily on verbal communication, art therapy introduces visual expression as another pathway toward reflection and psychological insight.
One approach that brings symbolism, color, and psychological theory together is the Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI). Developed from the pioneering work of art therapist Joan Kellogg, MARI uses geometric symbols and colors to support exploration of personal experiences, emotional patterns, and psychological development.
Although MARI is a specific assessment system, the broader therapeutic use of mandalas offers opportunities for self-reflection, emotional expression, and mindfulness. Understanding the distinction between these practices helps us appreciate both their potential and their limitations.
What Is MARI in Art Therapy?
MARI stands for the Mandala Assessment Research Instrument, a projective assessment approach developed from Joan Kellogg's research into mandala imagery and psychological development.
Kellogg's work was influenced by Carl Jung's exploration of mandalas as representations of psychological wholeness. Through her observations of recurring symbolic patterns, she developed a theoretical model known as the Great Round of the Mandala, which organizes symbolic imagery into 13 interconnected developmental stages.
The MARI system uses 39 symbolic design cards and 45 color cards in its current format. Participants select symbols and colors according to their personal preferences and intuitive responses. These selections are then explored within the Great Round framework (MARI Creative Resources, n.d.).
Unlike conventional assessments that primarily rely on written questions, MARI invites individuals to engage with visual symbolism. Its purpose is to open opportunities for reflection and discussion, including experiences that may be difficult to articulate verbally.
Importantly, MARI should be understood as an exploratory projective instrument rather than a standalone diagnostic test. Symbolic preferences cannot independently establish psychological diagnoses or reliably reveal unconscious experiences.
How Does the MARI Process Work?
A MARI session generally begins with an invitation to respond intuitively to visual images. Participants are presented with symbolic designs and encouraged to select those that attract their attention.
Next, colors are paired with the selected symbols. Within the MARI framework, color contributes another dimension to the symbolic material, potentially informing discussions about emotions, relationships, personal experiences, and life transitions.
The selected combinations are placed within the Great Round, where a practitioner trained in MARI helps the individual explore possible connections among symbols, colors, and current circumstances.
The most valuable part of this process may be the conversation that follows. Rather than treating a particular symbol or color as having one definitive psychological meaning, a collaborative therapeutic approach considers the individual's personal history, cultural background, and associations.
For example, someone might select blue because it reminds them of the ocean and a childhood sense of safety. Another person might associate the same color with sadness or isolation. Neither interpretation is inherently more correct. What matters therapeutically is understanding the significance that the individual brings to the image.
Why Are Mandalas Used in Art Therapy?
Mandalas are circular designs that have been used in various cultural, spiritual, and artistic traditions. Within art therapy, the circle can provide a visual boundary in which individuals explore their thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences.
The process of working within a circle may provide structure while allowing considerable creative freedom. A person might fill the space with carefully organized patterns, spontaneous marks, symbolic images, or abstract colors.
From a psychological perspective, mandala-making may support several therapeutic processes.
Emotional expression: Colors, shapes, textures, and movement can offer alternative ways to communicate experiences that are difficult to explain verbally.
Mindfulness and attention: The repetitive or focused nature of drawing and coloring may encourage present-moment awareness.
Self-reflection: Observing an image after creating it can provide an opportunity to recognize relationships between thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences.
Personal meaning-making: Individuals can explore the significance of symbols and visual narratives, potentially developing new perspectives on themselves.
Self-acceptance: Artmaking may encourage curiosity rather than judgment, allowing individuals to observe their internal experiences without immediately trying to change them.
These possibilities are consistent with art therapy's emphasis on creative expression and therapeutic reflection, although individual responses vary.
Three Examples of Mandala-Based Art Therapy
The following examples illustrate how mandalas might be used in psychotherapy. They are creative exercises inspired by mandala-making rather than formal MARI assessments.
Example 1: Exploring Emotions Through Color
A person experiencing anxiety might begin by choosing colors that reflect how they feel in the present moment. They might fill a circle with energetic marks, overlapping shapes, or contrasting colors.
The therapist could invite reflection through questions such as, "What part of this image feels most important to you?" or "If this image could communicate something about your experience, what might it say?"
The purpose is not to interpret red as anger or blue as sadness. Instead, the individual is encouraged to discover their own associations and consider what the artwork communicates about their current experience.
Example 2: Exploring Change and Personal Growth
During periods of transition, individuals sometimes experience competing feelings of uncertainty, loss, hope, and possibility.
A mandala might contain contrasting areas, emerging forms, or shapes that appear to move toward or away from one another. These visual elements can become starting points for discussing changes in identity, relationships, or personal circumstances.
The therapist might ask, "Where do you see yourself in this image?" or "Does anything in your artwork remind you of a transition you are currently experiencing?"
By exploring these visual relationships, individuals may begin to develop a more integrated understanding of their experiences.
Example 3: Creating a Sense of Grounding and Balance
For individuals experiencing stress or emotional overwhelm, creating repeated patterns or concentric shapes may offer an opportunity to focus attention on the present moment.
A person might select colors that feel comforting, gradually working from the center outward or from the outer edge inward. There is no requirement for symmetry or artistic precision.
The process can become an opportunity to notice breathing, physical sensations, and emotional responses.
For some people, structured imagery feels calming. Others may prefer spontaneous drawing, and some may find circular boundaries restrictive. Effective art therapy remains responsive to the individual's needs rather than assuming one approach works for everyone.
What Does Research Say About Mandalas and Anxiety?
Research examining mandala-based activities has produced encouraging but mixed findings.
Curry and Kasser (2005) investigated whether coloring mandalas could reduce anxiety among 84 undergraduate students. Their findings indicated that coloring structured geometric designs, including mandalas, produced greater reductions in anxiety than unstructured coloring.
A replication study by van der Vennet and Serice (2012) also found that mandala coloring reduced anxiety following an anxiety-inducing task.
However, broader investigations suggest a more complex picture. A systematic review and meta-analysis by Støre and Jakobsson (2022), involving eight studies and 578 participants, found that mandala coloring did not reduce state anxiety significantly more than free drawing. Their findings suggest that the therapeutic value may arise partly from participation in structured or focused creative activity rather than from the mandala format alone.
More recently, Liu et al. (2026) reviewed nine randomized controlled trials involving 648 middle-aged and older adults. Mandala-based interventions were associated with reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms compared with control conditions. Nevertheless, the authors judged the certainty of the evidence to be very low because of methodological limitations and substantial variation among studies.
An important distinction is that research on mandala drawing and coloring does not establish the diagnostic validity or clinical effectiveness of the MARI assessment itself. MARI-specific research has explored patterns of symbolic preferences in clinical populations, but further psychometric and outcome research is needed (Bruscia et al., 2007).
Taken together, the evidence supports considering mandala-making as a potentially useful therapeutic activity while avoiding claims that specific symbols can diagnose psychological conditions or that mandala creation alone produces lasting psychological healing.
Who Might Benefit From Mandala-Based Art Therapy?
Mandala-making may be helpful for adults and adolescents who would benefit from nonverbal expression, creative exploration, or structured reflective activities.
Individuals experiencing anxiety, excessive worry, grief, depression, life transitions, relationship difficulties, or challenges with self-esteem may find visual expression useful within a broader psychotherapy process.
For individuals who struggle to describe their emotional experiences, art therapy can create additional opportunities for communication. Others may appreciate the ability to explore experiences through imagery without needing to find the right words immediately.
Artistic experience is not required. The therapeutic value lies primarily in the creative process, the individual's personal meaning, and the reflections that emerge through the therapeutic relationship.
MARI, Symbolism, and the Importance of Self-Compassion
One of the most meaningful aspects of art therapy is the opportunity to approach internal experiences with curiosity rather than criticism.
Many individuals experiencing anxiety or depression are familiar with persistent self-evaluation. Thoughts such as "I'm not doing enough," "I'm making the wrong decisions," or "I should be feeling differently" can become familiar patterns.
Creative exploration offers an opportunity to respond differently.
Instead of asking whether an image is good or bad, an individual can begin by asking what they notice. Instead of assuming that uncomfortable emotions should be eliminated, they can explore what those emotions communicate about their experiences and needs.
A mandala does not need to be symmetrical, balanced, or aesthetically pleasing to have personal significance. An unfinished shape, an unexpected color, or an area of empty space may invite reflection without requiring a predetermined interpretation.
This shift from evaluation toward compassionate observation is particularly relevant when working with anxiety, self-criticism, and difficulties with self-acceptance.
Integrating Mandala Work Into Psychotherapy
Formal MARI administration requires specific training in its symbolic framework and assessment procedures. However, mandala drawing and other circular artmaking activities can also be integrated into art therapy without using the MARI instrument.
A licensed psychotherapist with appropriate art therapy training can incorporate these activities alongside established therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and other evidence-informed interventions.
The goal is not to replace verbal psychotherapy with artistic interpretation. Rather, creative expression can expand the ways individuals explore their experiences, identify patterns, and develop meaningful personal insights.
Discover the Benefits of Art Therapy at Creative Psychotherapy Marin
At Creative Psychotherapy Marin, I believe that understanding ourselves involves more than identifying and changing thoughts or behaviors. It also requires compassion, curiosity, and opportunities to explore experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
As a licensed psychotherapist and art therapist, I integrate traditional psychotherapy with creative approaches to support individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and significant life transitions.
Art therapy provides another way to explore emotions, develop self-awareness, and work toward greater self-acceptance. Whether through drawing, painting, symbolic imagery, or reflective artmaking, the creative process can support meaningful psychological exploration.
If you are interested in learning how art therapy might complement your mental health treatment, I welcome you to explore the services available at Creative Psychotherapy Marin.
Creative Psychotherapy Marin | San Rafael, California
In-person psychotherapy in Marin County and telehealth throughout California.
www.creativepsychotherapymarin.com
References
Bruscia, K., Shultis, C., & Dennery, K. (2007). A comparison of cardiac and cancer inpatients on the MARI® Card Test. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 34(5), 388–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2007.07.005
Curry, N. A., & Kasser, T. (2005). Can coloring mandalas reduce anxiety? Art Therapy, 22(2), 81–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2005.10129441
Liu, L., Hu, H., Xu, J., & Liu, Y. (2026). Mandala-based art interventions for anxiety and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, Article 1877910. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1877910
MARI Creative Resources. (n.d.). What is MARI®? https://www.maricreativeresources.com/what-is-mari/
Støre, S. J., & Jakobsson, N. (2022). The effect of mandala coloring on state anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Art Therapy, 39(4), 173–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2021.2003144
van der Vennet, R., & Serice, S. (2012). Can coloring mandalas reduce anxiety? A replication study. Art Therapy, 29(2), 87–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2012.680047
