Creative Forces

By Wendy Campbell

"Art forms have a cleansing effect on the human spirit," says Tomson Highway, award-winning Canadian playwright who has a strong belief in the therapeutic benefits of art.

Although treatment in hospital is necessary and life-saving at some points in people’s lives, it tends to isolate them, taking away their independence, disconnecting them from their environment, and, in fact, working in some ways against their recovery. Normalizing the milieu and engaging patients in real activities of all sorts help to counter the ward’s inevitable focus on problems and illness.

One of the ways we have chosen to do this on the inpatient psychiatry unit where I work is to bring in a variety of visual artists, dancers and writers to share their skills, their humanity and their passion for their particular art form.

Tomson Highway is one of a series of writers who have come to us through the Canada Council’s Public Reading series, which showcases Canadian writing across the country. Poets, playwrights, novelists and non-fiction writers introduce their work to the public in different venues, ours being one of the more intriguing ones. Patients and writers meet together in a process of viewing the world and their experiences through the lens of the writer’s work.

During one session, a patient dealing with the loss of a spouse was touched by a story that captured and explored emotions she had felt but had been unable to express. Another day, the loneliness and isolation of a recent immigrant was eased by a scene in Nino Ricci’s Lives of the Saints. The theme of childhood memories often strikes a chord in patients who struggle with existential issues and long for simpler, happier times.

Dance sessions offer connections with another kind of artist, incorporating music and the exhilaration of movement. In this part of the program, dancers explore a broad range of physical possibilities in a pleasurable and relaxing way. Patients become more comfortable with their bodies and with the space around them. "Dancing made me remember what it was like to be healthy," one person said in a note of thanks. The simple act of moving to music can begin to clarify thinking, promote concentration and accelerate the progression to more complex intellectual activities.

In the field of visual arts, we offer independent study opportunities to a local art college. Each year one or more students from the Ontario College of Art collaborate with us on weekly Open Studios. The sessions are designed to be accessible to everyone, engaging in an exploration of colour, shape and form through a variety of techniques, with the artist providing guidance, encouragement and expertise within a non-judgmental atmosphere. The activity helps people to manage anxiety, boosts their self-confidence, makes it easier to be with other people, and stimulates interest in their environment. As when working with the writers and the dancers, patients feel part of an exciting creative process either as participants or spectators. Taking a small risk in a safe, supportive place makes similar risks in the outside world seem achievable. And they have fun!

The creative arts program has been enormously satisfying for all of us. Patients have a chance to meet and work with artists, who can sometimes more easily acknowledge and accept the broad range and reach of humanity. Artists have an interesting forum in which to examine their work and its connection to and reflection of life. They also develop a wider understanding of human behaviour, of their art and themselves as artists, and of creative activity as a healing force. They leave with ideas about psychiatry that are based on real experiences rather than the misconceptions often held by the general public. My colleagues and I relish the fresh enthusiasm the artists bring to the ward. We have a chance to see our patients without the power differential inherent in the patient/therapist relationship. Understanding of psychodynamic, interpersonal and practical issues can be enhanced in these sessions as patients are acting and reacting in real-life situations. Strengths can be identified and valuable information gathered for helping people re-enter life outside the ward with the skills and courage to handle it better.

Based on our experience, several general hospitals in Toronto have connected with art college students, and others with the Canada Council writers program. One of our former art students has been running a creativity studio at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry for the past four years. One of our dancers is working with the Dancers’ Transition Centre exploring the use of dance in a variety of settings as a potential new career option for performers. So, bit by bit, the creative forces are expanding.

(Wendy Campbell is an occupational therapist at the Toronto Hospital.)

(This article was brought to you by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists)