Nise da Silveira (February 15, 1905 – October 30, 1999) was a Brazilian

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

and a student of

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

. She devoted her life to

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

and challenged the conventional orthodoxies of her era, which insisted on using institutionalization and aggressive forms of medical intervention, including

electroconvulsive therapy Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatry, psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders.Rudorfer, MV, Henry, ME, Sackeim, HA (2003)"Electroco ...

insulin shock therapy Insulin shock therapy or insulin coma therapy was a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly injected with large doses of insulin in order to produce daily comas over several weeks.Neustatter WL (1948) ''Modern psychiatry ...

and

lobotomy A lobotomy, or leucotomy, is a form of neurosurgical treatment for psychiatric disorder or neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy) that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex. The surgery causes most of the connections to ...

to treat mental illnesses.

Biography

Nise da Silveira was born in

Maceió Maceió (), formerly sometimes Anglicised as Maceio, is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. The name "Maceió" is an Indigenous term for a spring. Most maceiós flow to the sea, but some get trapped and form la ...

, in the northeastern state of

Alagoas Alagoas (, ) is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is the city of Maceió. It ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, in 1905. She graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Salvador,

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

in 1926, the only woman among 157 men. In 1952, she founded th
Museum of Images of the Unconscious
in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, a research center and archive aimed at studying and documenting the thousands of artworks her clients produced at the occupational therapy unit of the Pedro II (National) Center for Psychiatry. Through her work, Nise da Silveira introduced

Jungian psychology Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...

to Brazil. In 1956, Nise da Silveira developed another revolutionary project that was ahead of her time: "Casa das Palmeiras", an outpatient clinic for formerly institutionalized clients, where they could freely express their art as they transitioned back into society. She also formed the C.G.

Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

Study Group, which she chaired until 1968. Her research on

occupational therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or ''occupations'', of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of ...

and the use of artistic expression as a means for exploring and revealing the inner life of mentally ill patients led to various exhibitions, films, documentaries, audiovisual productions, courses, symposia, publications and conferences over the course of her life. She was also a pioneer in researching affective bonds between patients and animals, whom she referred to as co-therapists. In recognition of her work, Nise da Silveira was awarded

decorations Decoration may refer to: * Decorative arts * A house painter and decorator's craft * An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc. * An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing Other ...

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

and prizes in different areas of knowledge. She was a founding member of

the International Society for Psychopathological Expression ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

headquartered in Paris, France. Her work and ideas inspired the creation of museums, cultural centers, and therapeutic institutions in Brazil and overseas. On July 8, 2022, the passage of Federal Law 14.401/2022 confirmed her entry into Brazil's "Livro dos Heróis e Heroínas da Pátria" (Book of National Heroes)

Death

Nise died on October 30, 1999, in

. Her life and work were portrayed by

Glória Pires Glória Maria Cláudia Pires de Morais (; born 23 August 1963) is a Brazilian actress. She is best known for her roles in TV Globo telenovelas such as '' Dancin' Days'', ''Vale Tudo'', ''Mulheres de Areia'' and ''O Rei do Gado''. She is also know ...

in the 2015 biographical Brazilian film '' Nise: The Heart of Madness'', directed by Roberto Berliner. Glória Pires also portrayed Nilse da Silveira in the 2022 Brazilian telenovela ''

Além da Ilusão ''Além da Ilusão'' (English title: ''A Trick of Fate'') is a Brazilian telenovela produced and broadcast by TV Globo. It is written by Alessandra Poggi, with the collaboration of Adriana Chevalier, Letícia Mey, Flávio Marinho, Rita Lemgruber. ...

''.

Tribute

On February 15, 2020,

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celebrated her 115th birthday with a

Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...

References

Bibliography

* ''Casa das Palmeiras. A Emoção de Lidar. Uma Experiência em Psiquiatria'' Rio de Janeiro: Alhambra, 1986 * ''Cartas a Spinoza'' Rio de Janeiro: Francisco Alves, 1995 * ''Expérience d'art Spontané chez des Schizophrènes dans un Service de Therapeutique Occupationelle'' (co-operation with Dr. Pierre Le Gallais, II International Psychiatry Congresso in Zurig), Congress Report vol. IV, 380–386, 1957.
Felipe Sales Magaldi: "Psyche meets matter: body and personhood in the medical-scientific project of Nise da Silveira" [Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos vol.25 no.1 Rio de Janeiro Jan./Mar
2018] * Fernando Portela Câmara: "Vida e obra de Nise da Silveira" ournal of Psychiatry On-Line Brazil 2002 * ''Gatos, A Emoção de Lidar''. Rio de Janeiro: Léo Christiano Editorial, 1998 * Gullar Ferreira. "Nise da Silveira: uma psiquiatra rebelde," 1996 * Id.: "A contribuição de Nise da Silveira para a Psicologia Junguiana" – ournal of Psychiatry On-Line Brazil 2004 * ''Imagens do inconsciente'' Rio de Janeiro: Alhambra, 1981 * João A. Frayze-Pereira: "Nise da Silveira: Imagens do Inconsciente entre Psicologia, Arte e Política" in Estudos Avançados. vol.17 n° 49 São Paulo Set./Dic. 2003 * ''Jung: Vida e Obra'', Rio de Janeiro: José Álvaro Ed., 1968 * ''Nise da Silveira'' Brasil, COGEAE/PUC-SP 1992 * ''O Mundo das Imagens'' São Paulo: Ática, 1992 * Philatelic Release (2005), n. 1, Brasil.

External links

Museum of Images of the Unconscious

UNESCO Memory of the World - Nise da Silveira Personal Archive

Brazil's Museum of the Unconscious: a bold experiment in psychotherapy and art

Open Society Institute - A Groundbreaking Vision of Art and Humanity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silveira, Nise Da Brazilian psychiatrists 1905 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Brazilian physicians Jungian psychologists Analytical psychology Brazilian women scientists Brazilian scientists 20th-century women scientists Brazilian women physicians Brazilian medical writers 20th-century women physicians Women psychiatrists Brazilian art educators