Kidney Matters - Issue 11 Winter 2020

8
The art of wellbeing
Is it possible to become oblivious to the passage of time? This question is an
important one for many kidney patients who receive haemodialysis and struggle to
pass the hours dialysing.
Research has demonstrated that this experience
of boredom can have a negative impact on
mental health, as patients spend the time during
haemodialysis ruminating and worrying, leading to an
increased risk of anxiety and depression.
The Renal Arts Group at Queen’s University Belfast
(QUB), supported by Kidney Care UK, try and
address this unique issue of time on haemodialysis
by undertaking a programme of research exploring
the use of art in haemodialysis units. The arts may be
particularly well placed to address the problem of time
on dialysis because it can induce something called a
‘flow state’, a concept first described by psychologist
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi after watching artists at work.
To be in ‘flow’ is to be completely absorbed in an
activity, losing awareness of your surroundings and
focusing entirely on the task at hand. The hallmark
experience of being in ‘flow’ is an altered perception of
time; most typically people experience time passing a
lot faster than it actually is.
Getting Started
As part of this project, a feasibility study was carried
out to assess how to offer one-to-one facilitated art
sessions with patients during their haemodialysis
treatment. Funding for the arts materials were
provided by Kidney Care UK and Northern Ireland
Kidney Patients’ Association. A wide variety of patients
participated, but most of them had very little or no
experience in the arts. While we tend to think of art as a
talent, it is in fact a skill that you can learn and develop
with practice. Despite the prospect of learning how
to draw, paint or write being daunting at first, patients
realised that their abilities were improving from day to
day, and the nursing staff would regularly comment on
how surprised and impressed they were at the images
and poetry that patients were creating.
“Patients were looking forward
to coming into the unit for their
haemodialysis, just to see what
they could create next.”
During the project members of the Renal Arts Group
conducted interviews with the patients who took part
to explore how the arts activities were benefiting them
during their haemodialysis treatment. Patients reported
that the art gave them a sense of purpose outside
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