Nise da Silveira and the revolutionary use of art as Occupational Therapy in the psychiatric context

Abstract

Nise da Silveira, a Brazilian psychiatrist, carried out groundbreaking work in the treatment of the mentally ill. When she encountered the conventional treatments of the time, such as electroshock and lobotomy, was shocked by such violence. In rejecting such methods, she was ostracised by the clinical establishment. Thus, in 1946, she began to run an abandoned Occupational Therapy center, where, through artistic expression and affectionate contact, she would encourage the works produced by the patients as documents that opened up a new understanding of the psychiatric patient’s inner universe. Through Jung, Nise came to understand the importance of the symbols revealed in the images of Art Therapy.