A space for linking: Art therapy and stroke rehabilitation

Abstract

This paper explores a ‘gap’ in stroke rehabilitation service provision and the bridge that art therapy, as a non-verbal psychological therapy, might offer. The discussion explores the dynamic themes concerning the painful struggle to hold open a mental space for thinking about the traumatic impact of acute stroke. The case material suggests that art therapy offers a potential ‘space for linking’ shattered and meaningless experience, by mediating between mind and body, self and other, past and present. In the light of the National Stroke Strategy and the impending National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation, this paper suggests that, as part of a multidisciplinary approach, psychodynamic art psychotherapy may be particularly appropriate for stroke survivors who struggle to make use of standard treatments and solely verbal forms of psychological help.

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