Merging medicine & art

This morning I came across a great article in the Huffington Post that I highly recommend checking out. As we shift towards a more holistic approach in healthcare and gain deeper appreciation for mindful practice, the field of art therapy becomes increasingly widespread, receiving attention and respect for its integrative approach. Still, its always exciting to come across an article that talks about the collaboration of art therapy and science, specifically art therapy teaching doctors. In the past, these two specialties have often been fairly separate. Doctors interacted with their patients regarding medical issues and art therapists regarding emotional, not the most collaborative approach.  This article describes an awesome initiative at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, in which guest artist Ted Meyer uses artwork to help doctors see their patients as more than just an illness.

In the article, Meyer describes the foundation for his work, his own personal illness and the artwork that followed. Meyer was born with a rare genetic disorder. From the age of six he was constantly in and out of the hospital, poked and prodded, ultimately not sure how long he’d live.  During this time, he began to use art as an outlet for expression and healing, exploring his feelings about living in a body that didn’t quite work. Incorporating materials found within the hospital, Meyer used imagery to investigate his body and physical pain. Then, somewhat miraculously following a new treatment, he found himself almost symptom free. Meyer began connecting to others through the artistic process, using it as an outlet to learn about their scars and illnesses, letting them share their stories. So many of the individuals Meyer connected with used art as a way to cope and process their pain. Although not in the medical field, they had so much valuable experience to share, which Meyer believed could be incredibly helpful to doctors. Consequently, he created a guest artist position for himself at UCLA (clearly no small feat!). In this role, he recruits and curates a wide range of artists, each exploring issues of illness and identity, sharing their artwork and personal stories to provide physicians with a “more tangible understanding of living with certain afflictions.” Art therapy has been used within medical settings for a long time, but this program completely flips the script. This is art therapy geared towards the doctors, an effort to expand their minds beyond the clinical.  A very exciting and innovative program. Hopefully just the 1st of many…