Patients who suffer from constant pain are being given the chance to use art as a way of managing their conditions. Health Editor Barry Nelson reports

PAIN is a great excluder. Isolation, being stuck indoors, being dependent on others, getting depressed – it’s all a vicious circle, says former graphic designer Jill Goody.

But art could be the answer for Jill. of Hartlepool, who is one of the chronic pain patients from the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, who is about to take part in an arts psychotherapy programme.

It will be led by North-East artist and art psychotherapist Kelly Jayne and held at mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), where Kelly will be encouraging patients to discover new ways of managing their pain and give them an opportunity to socialise.

Jill, who suffers from constant back and leg pain, says: “It will encourage us to focus on the positive things we are still able to do – rather than the things we are unable to do – and hopefully develop into a model that could become a lifeline for us.”

She finds painting at home therapeutic, but only picked up her brushes again after she was asked if she had ever tried to “paint” her pain. She says: “I’m able to tune out of the pain and focus on the paint, colour and subject.

A hydrotherapy group at James Cook is currently the main weekly activity for Jill and other sufferers. She says: “There is a level of understanding and empathy that you won’t find anywhere else. I really hope it develops within this arts psychotherapy group too.”

Fellow patient Debbie Moore, of Guisborough, has discovered benefits of using distraction as a means of managing pain. “Before my car accident, I had just begun to develop my own business using therapeutic artwork in schools,” she says.

“Now I will be exploring my creative side in a completely new way, as it is my right hand and arm that is affected and I was right-handed previously.

I am hoping that these new sessions will help move people forward with their lives and find new ways of managing chronic conditions.”

The programme will culminate in an exhibition of the group’s work at mima and a selection of the work will also be displayed in the pain clinic waiting area at James Cook.

Kelly says: “Our patients will be encouraged to engage in using art materials, movement and drama to express and explore their emotions. The focus is to provide an opportunity for people to explore their feelings through the creative process.

“We hope that the group sessions and the resulting exhibition will give the patients the opportunity to share what it feels like to have chronic pain. I feel excited at the potential of this project and hope it becomes available to more people,” she adds.

Senior physiotherapist Richard King says: “This is truly a unique project that promotes patient empowerment and the use of non-medical intervention to improve health. Chronic pain can reduce people’s confidence to go out and meet new people, but this project should encourage them to try new things. Plus, getting your work exhibited at mima is no mean feat.”

Marie Neeson, education and audience development manager at mima, adds: “This initiative will enhance mima’s programme by welcoming an important audience group to get involved in activity, and we hope that it will provide everyone with great experiences that can continue well into the future.”

  • The project is funded by the Arts Council with additional support from local charity Free From Pain.