In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the
Rustle of a wing.
Robert Ingersoll
Throughout time humankind has used creative expression to release the deep emotions associated with grief and loss. The pain that lies deep within one's heart strains to find words to express the loss associated with the death of a loved one. We live in a society that puts a time frame around the grief process and, often with these hastened expectations, unresolved issues of grief may lead to physical and emotional problems.
Art therapy offers an outlet to explore and reveal, through image and symbols, deep seated emotions that are often times suppressed when a loss has not adequately been mourned.Art allows the grieving person to view their grief process in a more personal way. Through the process of making art, an individual can explore their views of death and express feelings that can not be put into words. Symbols created in art can release these feelings without having to verbally detail the changes occurring in life when experiencing the death of a loved one.
Since art is non-verbal, it can work on many different levels and help one to explore their beliefs and feelings associated with death. Images that appear in art can create a starting point for further discussion of the normal feelings of isolation, guilt, confusion, emptiness and fear when death has happened in a family or to an individual. Art allows feelings to be processed at one's own pace and grief to progress with a sense of privacy. The process of creativity creates more time for reflection
and is something that can be revisited over time to better understand the grief process.
The experience of death can leave an individual with a feeling of being out of control and these feelings may lead to anxiety and depression. Making art can create a sense of removal from the grief; the transference of the pain into symbol or metaphor is a way of stepping away from it for a time and experiencing loss in a more controlled manner.
The making of art promotes a sense of healing. It can offer the memory of making art as a child and the simple joy of creating beauty with color and form. There is no right or wrong way to process loss and grief, however, it is imperative to find a quiet place emotionally where the process of grieving can take place.Making art with the direction and support of an experienced art therapist can help you find that place.
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