On Inspiration: Dr. Diane Kaufman’s Keynote Address to the 2016 National Association for Poetry Therapy Conference, “Trauma and the Work of Art” (see below for download of keynote paper)
I was among those privileged to attend Dr. Kaufman’s presentation to those gathered for the NAPT conference in April 2016. She provided key resources from theory and research documenting the healing potential of art, and mesmerized us with stories of her own healing work with patients and diverse communities. Three things were utterly amazing to me. The first was her unapologetic use of self, boldly sharing her own trauma as a child, and letting us inside her processing of this experience as an adult, through the words she scribbled in a healing arts workshop. She showed us how she built on the initial poem, generating ever more rich creations, ultimately culminating in a children’s book and opera titled “Bird that Wants to Fly.” While that work is indeed inspiring, her revelation about how it came into being was itself a model of courageous healing work. She demonstrated that we could begin with our own haunting memories, push forward to explore their meaning, and envision a reality where emotional freedom is possible. There is no professional hiding from the reality of pain here. There is an open, fully human being guiding us through the journey of transcendence.
The second thing that astounded me about Dr. Kaufman’s work is the range of media she boldly engages – language, music, drama, visual art – delving into imagery that calls us to confront a myriad kinds of suffering, from addiction and depression to physical violence and abuse. Then she offers a transformative rendering of that suffering, which sings to the soul.
The third thing that amazes me about Dr. Kaufman is her wide reach in the creative process. She invites an astonishing range of collaborators into the healing project. I am in awe of her unrelenting determination to find individuals and groups who can share in the generation of an ever-more public medium for healing. Whether working with well-known artists, families, or high school students, she pulls together a phenomenally creative enterprise, bursting the seams of our locked-up private modes of grief. That all these participants may share in her discovery and illuminating creative work is a testimony to her commitment as a healing guide, and her belief in the inner resources we have at our command.
Carol Barrett, Ph.D.
Professor, Union Institute & University Coordinator, Creative Writing Certificate Program, Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Studies & Faculty Saybrook University Creativity Studies Program
The second thing that astounded me about Dr. Kaufman’s work is the range of media she boldly engages – language, music, drama, visual art – delving into imagery that calls us to confront a myriad kinds of suffering, from addiction and depression to physical violence and abuse. Then she offers a transformative rendering of that suffering, which sings to the soul.
The third thing that amazes me about Dr. Kaufman is her wide reach in the creative process. She invites an astonishing range of collaborators into the healing project. I am in awe of her unrelenting determination to find individuals and groups who can share in the generation of an ever-more public medium for healing. Whether working with well-known artists, families, or high school students, she pulls together a phenomenally creative enterprise, bursting the seams of our locked-up private modes of grief. That all these participants may share in her discovery and illuminating creative work is a testimony to her commitment as a healing guide, and her belief in the inner resources we have at our command.
Carol Barrett, Ph.D.
Professor, Union Institute & University Coordinator, Creative Writing Certificate Program, Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Studies & Faculty Saybrook University Creativity Studies Program
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