The experience gained in hospice and vegetative state wards represents a terrain of extraordinary significance, both professionally and humanly. The variety and depth of relational dynamics — with patients, caregivers, multidisciplinary teams — constitute an invaluable patrimony, offering unique opportunities for learning and growth.
In this context, art therapy reveals its full transformative power. Its impact is evident not only on the direct recipients, but on the relational environment as a whole, enriching every participant with new possibilities for listening and connection. Through the creative process, spaces of expression open that transcend the barriers imposed by illness, giving voice to what cannot be said.
A theme that concerns us all
In Western society, old age, illness, and death are often considered uncomfortable subjects — avoided and stigmatized, perceived as a loss of value rather than a natural phase of life. Those who are no longer active, and especially no longer productive, are often relegated to the margins, viewed as a burden rather than a precious source of wisdom and experience.
Although medical research continues to advance, the deep-seated fear surrounding illness and death remains entrenched. The experience within hospice and with people in a vegetative state underscores the importance of recognizing the “passage of state” as an integral part of the vital continuum. This work highlights the value of accompanying the human being toward a journey with uncertain boundaries, offering support that is not only physical, but emotional and spiritual.
Learning to let go
The greatest challenge falls upon those who remain — upon those who must confront the absence of their loved one, even when death represents a relief from a condition of extreme suffering.
Learning to let go means recognizing that death is an integral part of the natural cycle of life, an inevitable event that reminds us of our fragility and our human limits. Accepting this reality invites us to live with the void left by those who are no longer here, transforming absence into an inner presence. It is in memory that we can find a bond again, a silent guide that helps us face solitude and give new meaning to our experience.
The patient, the caregiver, the practitioner
The bedridden patient, in a state of progressive decline, lives through an intense inner confrontation. The dilated time of illness leads to reflection on one’s condition, on the life that has been lived, on what is being left behind, and on the unknown toward which one is heading.
The caregiver and family members face an equally complex journey: in the illness of their loved one and in their absence, crucial questions emerge — not only about the choices made, but about the very meaning of relationships, shared experiences, and loss.
This process offers a precious therapeutic opportunity to explore the deepest emotions, rework lived experience, and find answers that may lend meaning to the journey of separation and grief.
The field journal as an instrument of care
Keeping a field journal is an act of care. Care for the therapeutic relationship, for the patients we encounter — becoming a historical record of their journey — and for our work, which can evolve and improve over time. The journal represents a space for reflection and dialogue: with ourselves, with the team, with those we serve.
Working daily in contact with suffering and death carries a profound emotional impact. It is important to rely on supervision — internal or external to the facility — that allows one to process the accumulated emotional burden, offering a protected space for reflection and the renewal of one’s energies.
The field journal is not merely a log: it is an essential tool for maintaining a balanced perspective, confronting the weight of therapeutic work, and continuing to grow as professionals and as human beings.
I extend my profound gratitude to all who contributed to this experience: the patients, their families, and the professionals who allowed me to test myself in a field so complex and rich in nuance. The opportunity to work in a context offering multiple perspectives of understanding has given me a deeper awareness of the complexity of human relationships, enriching my sensibility with a new fullness and intensity.