‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’: stories of recovery in art therapy

ABSTRACT

Background

The ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ (Shoes) art therapy approach was developed as part of substance use treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic to give patients a platform where their stories could be told and shared. This paper describes this directive approach. Case examples explore the importance of addressing loneliness, acceptance and attachment, while fostering connection to a supportive community.

Context

Shoes was facilitated at an adult inpatient substance use rehabilitation unit and was available to all patients, upon request.

Approach

The Shoes approach is underpinned by a theoretical framework including attachment theory alongside theories relating touch and trauma recovery in art therapy.

Outcomes

The people who used the Shoes service fed back that they experienced a sense of acceptance and support and connection to a supportive community.

Conclusions

The Shoes project goals and outcomes align with similar treatment perspectives, focusing on self-acceptance and connection to a supportive community. Attachment, empathy and acceptance were expressed between the therapist and client, through the use of touch, proximity, and co-creation. Peers on the unit reinforced and validated connection and acceptance by interacting with Shoes.

Implications for research

Further research warranted includes: impact of touch and proximity in art therapy across cultures; long-term outcomes on motivation and connection; impact of therapist–client demographics on attachment and treatment outcomes; adaptability of project.

Plain-Language Summary

Trauma is prevalent among people who struggle with substance misuse, contributing to feelings of shame and loneliness, impacting self-worth, identity, and connection to others. Providing reparative attachment experiences, through relational interactions of empathy, acceptance, and encouragement, may provide clients opportunities to feel empowered to share their stories, connecting them to treatment and sobriety. Art therapy aims to help clients explore their emotions, thoughts, and experiences, encouraging self-reflection and change through the art product and process. Additional non-verbal interventions, such as the use of touch and proximity, are embedded in art therapy interactions, serving to shift power dynamics, provide healthy attachment through expressions of empathy and support, and give clients a sense of control over their emotional experiences.

‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ (Shoes) is an approach to art therapy that began during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when, even on the unit, clients felt a sense of isolation. Shoes was meant to give space for individuals to reflect on their experiences, but also connect them to the community that they felt so distanced from. This project is ongoing, as themes of shame, loneliness, identity, and connection are important pieces of substance use treatment.

The first connection, between client and art therapist, during shoe construction, began with cultivating a sense of safety and containment, through the use of touch and co-creation of the shoe, fostering exploration of personal symbols, empowering words, and identification of triggers, symbolically illustrating the acceptance of all parts of self.

Sharing stories encouraged clients to discuss their recovery, in their own words. The aim was to facilitate each person to take authorship of their narrative, increase self-acceptance, and make meaning of their experiences.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• substance use
• narratives
• attachment
• touch and proximity
• community
• trauma
• shoes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura Meyers

Laura Meyers, ATR-BC, LCAT, received her Master’s degree in Art Therapy from New York University (NYU) in 2013. She started her career at a residential treatment facility, working with adolescents who had experienced complex trauma. From 2013–2016, she piloted an art therapy programme at a treatment facility for veterans struggling with PTSD and substance-related issues. She is currently the creative arts therapist at an inpatient substance use rehabilitation unit in Westchester, NY. She has been an adjunct professor at NYU, since 2021. Laura is also an artist, who shows her work in and around New York. ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’, while beginning as a small project, has continued to grow. Goals include implementing this project at multiple facilities, to reach a larger community, with long-term goals to display shoes to raise awareness and understanding of those struggling with substance misuse.