18 • Introduction to Art Therapy
She then said she had just discovered that her husband had a girlfriend, and that the affair
had been going on for quite a while. Still agitated and tearful, Mrs. Lord went on to say how
painful this shock had been. The title for the second picture was less clear to her than the
first. She groped for words, finally settling on: “Ambivalence, Dilemma, Uncertainty, and
Confusion” (R). She was unable to say much more, except that the image described her
tangled emotions. By the end of the session, Mrs. Lord had regained her composure. While
still visibly sad, she was no longer as tense as when she arrived.
The art activity allowed Mrs. Lord to release some of the feelings that were flooding her.
The drawings, which expressed her anguish and confusion better than any words, also
helped her to sort out just what was happening, both internally and externally. She was then
able to begin to consider how she might cope with the unwelcome news. In other words,
articulating her inner world helped her cope with the outer one.
Charting Her Course in Charcoal At the following session, it seemed appropriate midway
through to suggest a theme to Mrs. Lord, one which grew out of her own drawings and ver-
balizations. Still reacting to her discovery of the preceding week, she entered looking tired,
saying “I’m not too full of ideas this week.” While working with charcoal, a new medium
for her, she was unusually quiet and absorbed, and chose to view the first three drawings
together after their successive execution.
The first was identified as “A Tree Alone on a Cloudy, Dreary, Rainy Day.” She said there
was probably a storm brewing, that the weather was going to stay dark and worsen, and
that the storm would be severe. Then, as if uneasy, she said, “Really, I don’t feel gloomy.
Everything depends on me. I’ve got the ball.” Looking at her second picture she said it rep-
resented “Interwoven Feelings or Mixed Emotions” stimulated by recent events.
Viewing the third picture she said quite spontaneously, “Mickey, Lori, Tim, and Me”
(the family). The top shape was seen as Tim, her husband, with an arrow pointing to the
other three. “If he could only be honest,” she said. “Everything depends on him. If those
who depend on him could have faith and trust in him, everything would be better. He feels
he has to lie. At times, he won’t tell things that could help and when you find out, it’s up to
you to ask.”
She then related in detail her recent discovery that he had a girlfriend, giving a thumbnail
description of subsequent events. Referring to the discovery, she said, “I would rather not
know. But that might not be good. But I do prefer to be naïve,” an attitude she acknowledged
as characteristic.
Mrs. Lord seemed unsure of what to do next. Since she was so ambivalent about con-
fronting her present reality, I suggested that she try to portray the current situation in a pic-
ture. She drew a scale with black oval masses on either side, saying, “He has to weigh which
is more important and which will give him more happiness. I think he’s torn between the
two, and he doesn’t know which he wants now” (Figure 1.13).
On the right side of the scale she identified herself, the children, and Tim; but as she said
this, she crossed him out, saying she really wasn’t sure she wanted him there. On the left, she
said, is “Tim and his Freedom.” Realizing that she had “accidentally” placed him with the
family, she restated, “I’m not even sure I’d want him here. It’s important for him to admit
where he belongs.” She made no mention of the obvious size differential on the two sides of
the scale and, when it was pointed out, seemed uncomfortable at the realization.
Her next drawing was done rapidly, and was described as “Tim and his Family” on the
bottom level, and “Tim and all the Girls who Find him Attractive” on the top half. Tim
is represented by the tallest line in both sections. She commented that even before the