3 Man unlock: out of sight, out of mind Art psychotherapy with a woman with severe and dangerous personality disorder in prison

Abstract

‘3 Man Unlock’ refers to the status of prisoners who are considered so volatile that they cannot be let out from behind their doors without three officers present at all times. This paper uses clinical material to illustrate the use of art psychotherapy to contain the trauma and violent acting out of a woman in a prison setting, whose status was frequently ‘3 Man Unlock’. The powerful projections from behind this locked door pervaded the landing, and it began to resemble the woman's mind: fragmented, split and paranoid. Through the development of a relationship with the art psychotherapist and the making of images, these toxic projections became part of a narrative that enabled the woman to express her feelings and see them contained, perhaps allaying the fear that her anxiety would overwhelm those around her and instigate a further lock-up. This woman's work illustrates the fear and dangerousness prisoners may feel themselves, and the cycles such punitive environments may re-enact.

Keywords:

• art psychotherapy
• projection
• counter-transference
• trauma
• containment
• image