Art is the perfect way to make mental health a topic of discussion; looking attentively at art, for example, strengthens your empathy and compassion for yourself and others. In the pilot GeneesKunst, Jolien Posthumus, together with Barbara Doeleman (director of BFC Compassionate Care & Mindful Medicine), pay attention to people who primarily care for others on a daily basis: doctors.
Doctors and nurses from the Spaarne Gasthuis experienced a museum experience with room for reflection and self-care. And through art. Jolien: “With this program aimed at doctors, we want to contribute to their resilience in the face of stress. And we want to strengthen their cross-professional competencies, such as creative, problem-solving skills and being open-minded. We also want to contribute to a more holistic view by looking at art. A work of art consists of different materials and techniques that together form a whole. But the way in which the work of art is framed, hung on the wall or placed on the pedestal is also part of the work of art. The space in which the artwork is located or hangs, the surrounding artworks and the museum environment in which we look at the artwork are part of how we see the artwork. This also applies to the patients and clients we meet.”
Marie-José van Schie, coordinator for doctors in training to become specialists at the Spaarne Gasthuis, participated in the pilot. Looking at art, she saw, offered the participating doctors and nurses important insights. “My experience is that if you look longer, you see more. And you notice how quickly you judge and pigeonhole someone. As a doctor, you quickly form an opinion or idea about a situation. This session made me aware of this and I saw that with the other participants too.”
During the session, the participants were given tools by mindfulness expert Barbara Doeleman to learn to look at patients in a less prejudiced way. Linda Witte, education coordinator of the Master’s phase in Medicine at the Spaarne Gasthuis, also saw this insight sink in among participating (young) doctors. “As a doctor, you are trained in your first clinical view. How does someone look out of their eyes, does that person see white? During GeneesKunst we learn to stand still, to take the time to look properly. It is important to invest in patients, you become a better doctor if you look more holistically.”
The doctor of today
Taking time for patients and staying present in the moment are above all important for the doctors themselves, says Linda. “As a hospital, we are very concerned with the needs of the new generation of doctors. How do they continue to enjoy their work, feel good about themselves? That is also why GeneesKunst appealed to us. We participated in the pilot, to see what mindfulness can bring to doctors in this area. Marie-José has also been working on burnout prevention among young doctors for a long time, which is related to this. The training is so full of medical knowledge that taking care of yourself and building in rest is often forgotten. This project offers space for that.”
Marie-José: “By looking at art and asking good questions, you learn how quickly you can fill in situations and judge. The mindfulness aspect in GeneesKunst also taught the doctors to stay in the here and now, to reflect on distractions and stimuli that can occur during a conversation. Am I really attentively present, or am I still busy with my to-do list in my head? This question helped the doctors to reflect, so that they can actively continue to do their work.”
Maintaining compassion
Developing skills in mindfulness, such as being attentively present, makes you more resilient to stress, Barbara sees. “People who work in healthcare can lose their sense of compassion. This is due to stress, busyness, a lot of overtime. Certain parts of the brain go into survival mode when this happens. If doctors lose their compassion, they also lose the pleasure in their work. That is a shame, because it is precisely that compassion that made them start working in healthcare.”
It is not yet generally known, but experiencing art can also be of great value in this area, says Jolien. “Doctors who regularly visit museums are experienced as more skilled and more empathetic. At the same time, GeneesKunst is a relaxing gift for the (mental) well-being of doctors. With this offer, they are challenged and inspired to look differently, to observe their own reactions and to awaken curiosity. In this way, we want to create more awareness of our own reactivity, self-stigmatization and the judgments and assumptions that we all have. We want to increase the ability to postpone our judgment.”
Not judging right away was perhaps the greatest lesson of GeneesKunst, both Marie-José and Linda agree. By looking, listening and asking carefully, you see more than with an initial clinical look. “Everything stands or falls with curiosity,” Barbara concludes. “Art and care are closely related, in care you are also challenged to be curious about others. The best doctors are therefore the doctors who remain curious. The museum is an excellent place where that curiosity about other ways of observing and thinking is aroused.”
