“Building Bridges”The First and Last Image Made In Art Therapy on A DSPD (Dangerous & Severe

Personality Disorder) Unit, and the Importance of ‘Trust’

Emma Allen, Art Therapist, Rampton Hospital

Art Therapy provided Clive a unique way to engage and contain the emotional impact of his arrival to a DSPD Unit. Clive experienced difficulties coping interpersonally and emotionally where Art Therapy helped him to develop self-insight into his severe personality difficulties, his offending behaviours and with developing a positive therapeutic relationship – Clive felt that he was able to communicate his experiences where trust had been built.

Image 1 (A4 size) “The Calm Before The Storm”

Clive: “In Image 1, it is the calm before the storm- nobody see’s me, they just see the boat. I am predicting, expecting there to be hurt.”

Emma: “Clive’s images highlighted the need to control and conceal true feelings to others ('being secretive'), needing to self-isolate and keep others at a safe distance – Clive also felt 'invisible'. ‘The calm before the storm’, described both his feelings about being on a personality disorder unit and his 'calm and turbulent' nature. Clive talked about his prediction that people are untrustworthy”.

Image 5 (A1 size) “Building Bridges”

Clive: “In Image 5, I was feeling I still needed to be distant, but felt I was allowing myself to be seen. Society sees people like me as not being allowed to be seen so I am here at a distance. I am able to try to understand myself better and get closer to people – to build bridges. The bridge was broken and I need to repair it, bit by bit. Each part of repairing the bridge is symbolic to what I have understood about myself. Being a carpenter – I am able to repair it.”

Emma: “Here we see Clive’s emotional damage through the broken bridge but there is hope of repair, and of getting back in touch with the world. Clive is stood looking towards the outside world; no longer hiding and able to call for help if he needs to. Now there are two vessels riding calmer water, perhaps symbolic of our therapeutic relationship”.