Artistic expression has long been acknowledged to
have a part in helping to heal emotional and even
physical problems. The practice has included not only
visual art but writing, dance and drama. Participation
in the making of visual art provides benefits not
just for an artist, but also for the rest of the population.
It is currently being used to good effect in clinical
settings such as local hospitals.
People who have suffered trauma can often find healing
through an artistic process that expresses how the
trauma has affected them. Art that expresses these
feelings can be good for both the individual and society
as a whole according to artist and Gray resident,
Amy Stacey Curtis. In her new book, Women, Trauma
& Visual Expression, the author looks at the role
of trauma in the lives of four female artists whose
works span nearly 400 years.
She then covers the stories of five contemporary artists
and their decision to incorporate the trauma they
have suffered into their artistic expression. In the
chapter on personal trauma, she describes that decision
saying, "During our interviews each artist sensed
that her imagery was not only part of her survival,
but also part of her voice, its expression often the
most effective means of communication." She continues,
"Some artists who recognize that their work process
is in part a component of healing from trauma, create
imagery for their eyes only, while for other survivors
this is not enough." (p.146).
Of those who exhibit their work, Curtis says that
the art acts as a bridge from artist to viewer and
the results can be healing. By bringing art that deals
directly with trauma to the public venue, it helps
to take away the stigma attached to certain types
of trauma such as rape or abuse. In the Preface of
her book, Ms. Curtis speaks of her purpose in writing
it, stating, "My idealistic hope: to raise awareness
about the damaging and epidemic stigma of trauma,
to end the silence and shame while increasing the
public's awareness and understanding." Through
careful research, the author addresses the experiences
of many who find healing through their art and chronicles
her own experience as well.
Beverly Spare is a Child Life Specialist at Barbara
Bush Children's Hospital in Portland. She explains
that for children struggling with illness or disease,
art activities can be very therapeutic. "A lot
of times we try to get the kids to express the emotions
that they feel. A hospital can be such a strange place,
especially for children," As a patient, Ms. Spare
says, "You can feel that you have no control.
But with art you have control over something, and
that helps you to feel like yourself again."
The young patients use the art work to decorate their
hospital rooms, even painting their windows if they
want, giving them some control over their own space.
Sometimes they choose instead to give their work away,
to a parent, doctor or nurse that they appreciate.
Ms. Spare says that the children often want to give
back to the people who are helping them.
Ms. Spare told The Monument about a project she recently
did with a support group for children with Crone's
disease and colitis. As a group, they spent time making
mandalas. Each child could write or draw about the
challenges they faced, as well as the things that
they felt good about. Initially the difficult stuff
overpowered the projects. As they continued however,
the focus shifted from the negative to more positive
things in their lives that they loved. "It helps
them to put things in perspective when bad things
are happening," said Ms. Spare.
The Child Life Specialists at the hospital use a variety
of medium including paints, markers, clay, play dough,
beads, glue, tissue papers etc. Children who have
been in for extended stays have learned to knit and
to hook rugs as well. "It can be very simple
or very creative projects," according to Ms.
Spare, "but we always have success programmed
in. It should make them feel good."
The art projects are used to bring in some normalcy
to the hospital environment as well. One student who
had to deal with a lot of pain commented that she
was missing out on a Valentine's project at school.
At Ms. Spare's suggestion they began to make Valentine's
cards and beaded necklaces. During the time that the
girl was busy with her artwork she was sitting up,
smiling and chatting. The specialists find that just
being focused and busy with art can help some patients
not to feel as much pain.
Art can be a tool in the overall treatment of psychiatric
disorders as well. V. Baron Young, MSW, works with
psychiatric patients in a hospital in Central Florida,
and deals with an adult and adolescent population.
She uses visual images to further the goal of getting
patients to discuss feelings, identify stressors and
explore coping mechanisms. Focusing on an image assists
patients in accessing those emotions.
Laying out a number of different photographs or pictures,
Ms. Young encourages patients to choose one that they
identify with. Group members then go around the circle
and explain why they picked the picture they did and
then discuss the feelings associated with it. Ms.
Young states that the same picture of a woman walking
through the park can be interpreted differently by
each patient indicating the individual stressors in
their environment. One patient may see her rushing
and afraid, another may see it as a fall day and the
woman as sad as she walks through the park. Still
others may speak about the picture as contemplative
or full of hope, with a change in the season.
She also uses art as a creative process with the patient
groups that she sees. They may draw with different
colored chalk and speak about what they have drawn.
In some instances, low functioning patients with psychotic
disorders can't articulate their feelings verbally,
but are able to express themselves visually.
One patient diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder was unable
to speak coherently due to disorganized thoughts,
but expressed her depression at her narrowing world
by drawing a series of brown marks in the extreme
corner of a full white sheet. Another patient, suffering
from the effects of psychosis and substance abuse
was dealing with high anxiety and paranoia. The patient
drew three flat bands of color that looked like sky,
water and sand. He identified the calm picture as
the peace he had felt in the past.
Quickly adding bold orange scribbles he gave a visual
language to the anxiety he was experiencing. Young
says the healing process begins when the patient can
begin to express himself and gain a response from
others.
Windham artist Barbara Bagshaw, speaks to the spiritual
healing power of art. "There is healing in artistic
expression. A lot of people have grown up with wounds
but had a 'no talk' rule. If you have all this emotion
inside and it is not let out, there is no way to process
it. You have to give it to God before you'll be able
to have a full range of emotions." She credits
dance, writing and artistic expression with letting
her take what was inside herself and move it to the
outside.
Ms. Bagshaw says that when the viewer enters into
that with the artist, they can connect on a heart
level. "If the viewer senses or feels the pain
or joy that the artist is experiencing, then that
is healing- a comforting connection." She states
that whatever the artist expresses whether good bad
or ugly can inspire other people to know that it's
safe to be honest as well.
------------------------ Sidebar:
Mandalas are a Microcosmic diagram, used as a power
circle and object of contemplation in the rituals
of Buddhism.
Any of various ritualistic geometric designs symbolic
of the universe, used in Hinduism and Buddhism as
an aid to meditation.
