I have often referred to grief, its expression, and the facilitation of grief as an art form. In some cases, as with a recent client of mine, using art as an expression of grief is the remedy.
A recent and still client of mine lost her daughter to an accidental death; she was suddenly and unexpectedly run down and killed by a car. Her grief was intense, as was her anger. Over time and with a lot of expression her grief became more manageable and much less volatile. Yet her grief persists into this the second year without her lovely daughter.
I asked her, “What do you think about painting out your grief. Buy a canvass, some brushes and some paint and have at it.” She loved the idea and asked, “Does it have to look like something? Can I stab it with a knife? Can it be colourful and bold?”
Obviously it was the right prescription for her.
I encouraged her to let go of the end result and any ‘thinking about how and what she would paint. “Let the grief paint itself through you, try not to over think it. Just let the paint fly.” I said reassuringly.
She did.
Here is the result.
Sometimes words just don’t do it.
Leave a Reply