Drawn from Memory
A Personal Story of Healing Through Art

by E. J. Cockey

My first thought with Drawn from Memory in my hands was, “what kind of art therapy book has no pictures?” I had misunderstood the content of this book when I requested to review it. I thought it was about providing enrichment activities to aged shut-ins and reaching out to dementia patients through art therapy. These things are part of the narrative, but are not the focus. The author uses this format to share with the reader her personal experiences with family members suffering from dementia and schizophrenia and how providing art therapy to them and others helped her pull through.

The book style is that of a memory journal. The first section is April 16, 2004 and the last one is eight days later. Instead of the progression of the present timeline there are reflections from 1990 through 2000 as flashbacks to significant scenes in the author’s life: the day of her mother’s stroke, the day her son attempted suicide, art class in a park, visits to a senior resident center. A significant thread that holds the book together is a series of one-on-one art classes with Gertrude, a lonely elder living with her daughter and husband, their children and his mother. Through their interactions the author is as enriched as the shut-in in a manner that is not the same as her experiences with larger groups.

There are many heart-wrenching moments as well as enraging issues as it comes to light that elder care can be about as sensitive as herding cattle in a stockyard, disfranchising those who really can’t speak for themselves in the matter. Programs like the one provided by the author help everybody involved at whatever level they are able to participate, and as she shows through Drawn from Memory, what you get out of it is not always limited by what you can contribute.