People who have faced traumatic events - witnessed or participated in war, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or violence - may have mental health problems. According to the World Health Organization, every fifth person who has had a traumatic experience needs psychological rehabilitation. One of the most effective methods of working with trauma is art therapy.
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Art therapy involves the use of various types of creativity - drawing, modeling, music, dance - that allow a person to express their feelings through symbolic or visual forms, that is, to express what is difficult to say in words. “Art therapy allows people to overcome conflicts, anxiety, and fears that disturb them, to find inner harmony and improve their psychological state through the process of creativity,” experts say.
In particular, artistic events aimed at psychological rehabilitation of our wounded soldiers through the visual arts have been regularly organized since the summer of 2022 by the National Military Medical Clinical Center “Main Military Clinical Hospital” (curated by PhD, Lieutenant Colonel Inna Chernenko), the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine with the participation of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine and the Educational and Scientific Publishing and Printing Institute of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Regular participants in these events are teachers and students of the Department of Graphics of the Institute of Graphic Arts (curated by Professors Oleksii Rogotchenko, Svitlana Olyanina, and Candidate of Cultural Studies Svitlana Rogotchenko). They take part in the “Draw with a Warrior” workshops and provide therapeutic support, communicating and drawing together with veterans.
“Art has always had a great influence on the human psyche,” says Inna Chernenko, ”I am convinced that the use of art therapy in working with military personnel should become a necessary component of the process of supporting their mental health and rehabilitation. Because it allows them to restore their psychological well-being, find new ways of self-expression and express their emotions without words. A person's recovery begins with the soul. At the master classes, young artists teach the soldiers to open their souls, express them on canvas to restore their psyche, help each other heal and develop.”
“The participation of our students in the master classes,” says the director of the Institute of VPI Petro Kyrychok, “is important both for them and for the university. Young artists are involved in psychotherapy based on art - the art of drawing. They help soldiers not only with their knowledge but also with their vibes to feel better.
By the way, to hold the master class in May, students and teachers of the School of VPI raised funds and purchased brushes, canvases, and easels. These materials were used for art therapy. I would like to add that some of the soldiers intend to enter the VPI, the Department of Graphics, after recovery to improve their skills and enter the normal rhythm of life.”
It should be noted that art events involving students are held at different locations. During the work, a comfortable space of safety is created, which helps to release negative emotions and feelings, helps to forget traumatic factors, muffle memories of them and transfer consciousness to the perception of beauty. Indoor classes are sometimes accompanied by live music. In nature, for example, on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Nature Reserve, the environment itself is conducive to creativity.
“Drawing is a kind of relaxation, when all thoughts are turned off and you are completely immersed in the creative process,” explains Svitlana Olyanina, head of the Graphics Department. ”At first, our students paint war and destruction, with mostly aggressive black and red colors. Later, they depict neutral landscapes, using colors that indicate a more stable state of mind. This may indicate that they have gotten rid of the fears and horrors of war: they have projected them onto the canvas, and peace prevails in their souls.”
The students say they like the process, “that we do it together,” and also enjoy the incredible hours of communication. They are happy to teach the soldiers. Their co-authors also speak positively: “You work with your hands, but also with your brain, and everything together has a calming effect.”
At the end of the class, there is a discussion involving artists and soldiers, doctors and art historians. So it's not just painting, but from a scientific point of view, it's an experience that is reflected in scientific publications on the achievements of art therapy. It is worth adding that on November 23, the Museum of Medicine opened an exhibition of artworks by military personnel created during the “Draw with a Warrior” master classes.
To summarize, I would like to sincerely thank those who care about the military and veterans. And to those who offer them this medicine - creativity.