Nise da Silveira
Brazilian psychiatrist and pioneer of rehabilitation psychiatry
In a time when lobotomies, electroshock and insulin therapies were still the norm in Brazilian psychiatry, Nise da Silveira stood out as a singular voice advocating for a kinder and more relational approach to the treatment of people with mental health conditions. Despite working in an arena dominated by men, she fought passionately against the status quo and was instrumental in establishing occupational therapies as a valid treatment in schizophrenia and other chronic psychiatric conditions in Brazil,changing the way in which rehabilitation was viewed and practised in her native land.
da Silveira established the Seção de Terapêutica Ocupacional e Rehabilitação (Department of Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation) in the Centro Psiquiátrico de Pedro II, Rio de Janeiro, in 1946. Here, she organised workshops for painting and sculpting where patients were encouraged to experiment with new means of emotional expression. A devotee of Carl Gustav Jung, da Silveira applied Jungian ideas to the interpretation of her patients' works in an attempt to develop a deeper and more personal understanding of the individuals in her care and the psychotic processes underpinning their symptoms. The success of this approach was evident early on and many of da Silveira's patients were able to successfully reintegrate back into society.
In 1956, da Silveira went on to establish the Casa das Palmeiras, a clinic devoted to the rehabilitation of former patients of psychiatric hospitals which eschewed the institutionalisation and restriction of liberty of its attendees. She pioneered research into the therapeutic potential of animals in recovery, naming them her 'co-therapists', and her work inspired the creation of cultural centres and therapeutic institutions both in Brazil and abroad. She died at the age of 94, leaving behind a truly unique legacy. Her passion and devotion to the value of emotional connection, creativity and compassion are reminders of the importance of these qualities in both the treatment and rehabilitation of people with mental illness.
"To navigate against the current, these rare qualities are needed: a spirit of adventure, courage, perseverance and passion"- Nise da Silveira