An art therapy session for Ukrainian veterans and their family members took place at the Homin Centre of the Lviv Organ Hall. The session was led by Japanese psychologist and art therapy master Ukiyo-sensei (Mariko Ukiyo) and Japanese actress Sahel Rose.
Participants worked with paints and Japanese calligraphy: they painted characters with special brushes, practised concentration and learnt, through creativity, to distract themselves from everyday anxieties and to better sense their own emotional state.
Head of the Culture Department of Lviv City Council Marta Beshlei noted that the city is consistently developing support programmes for veterans and their families through cultural and art therapy practices. She stressed that cooperation with Japanese specialists is part of Lviv’s broader partnership with cities in Japan, and that similar events are planned to continue, involving international experts.
Veterans shared their impressions of taking part. Ihor said that for him it was an opportunity to try a new format of activities and to detach himself for a while from everyday problems. The coach of the veterans’ pétanque team, Mykola Dudiuk, came to the event with his eight-year-old daughter Polina and a friend from Korea, Nayeon. According to him, the session was both a chance to get acquainted with Japanese culture and an opportunity for shared creative leisure with children.
Ukiyo-sensei explained that Japanese calligraphy is not only a technique for writing characters, but also a way to focus on one’s own sensations and to convey inner experiences through lines and strokes.
“This art is not just about drawing strokes. It can show what is in a person’s heart. When you paint, you draw on Japanese philosophy, this ‘zen’, and transfer your feelings onto the paper,” said Ukiyo-sensei.
Mariko Ukiyo is a Japanese psychologist, mental health specialist and art therapy master. She heads the National Association of Mental Health Professionals of Japan and the Himawari charity organisation in Tokyo, which supports Ukrainians forcibly displaced to Japan. Ukiyo has experience in crisis psychological support for people affected by the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant accident in 2011. In her work, she combines psychological approaches with traditional Japanese artistic techniques – calligraphy, breathing practices and aromatherapy.
Sahel Rose is a Japanese actress, television presenter and model of Iranian origin. At the age of four she lost her parents due to the Iran–Iraq war, lived in an orphanage, and at the age of eight moved to Japan with her adoptive mother. In addition to her work in film, theatre and television, Rose is actively engaged in humanitarian and human rights activities.