The Knot
Elfrieda Power
The patient was unkempt and dirty with blood on his clothes, carrying a plastic bottle. He was desperately seeking help but there wasn’t much that the G.P. could do as the drug service had refused to offer him a detox. He was feeling that he was better off dead, because he felt that his family could then move on and forget about him and he could no longer cause them any trouble.
This painting is trying to express how he feels and where he is in his life, at ‘rock-bottom’. He is the black line, tangled up in a knot, as he can’t move forward and doesn’t know how to get out of the mess he is in. Other people are the coloured lines. He influences some of them, as the knot pushes them aside, but they all carry on moving along in their lives. Some have small knots to deal with and other lines interfere or accompany them but they keep going. The Dr. is the blue line, following the pattern of the knot. He is with the knot at all times and providing support but cannot intervene or make everything better for the individual, that is up to the patient to do.
The creative proces allowed me to project my feelings about meeting this patient into painting, allowing me to understand why I felt the way I did and not to feel so frustrated about it.
This painting intrigued me when I first saw it as it is very striking.Reading the reflection was enlightening because it provides a new way of thinking about the journey of life and how doctors can affect it. For me it brings some clarity to an issue that can be confusing and disheartening.
Dear Elfrieda I feel very drawn to your picture; it is a simple but powerful idea and I find it easy to look at it and touch into my own ‘knots’. It is uplifting to look at a piece that is beautiful as well as meaningful; you expose difficulty but you do it in a graceful way. There is something rather foetus-like about the knot too, which is intriguing to me. Keep up the great work! Tessa
The simplicity of this picture struck me, and I found the reflection very interesting. I like how it isn’t a snapshot of a patient’s journey but it shows the continuous development and progression of the disease. Along with this, I like how it shows the doctor-patient relationship, and what appears to be the continuing support the doctor is giving the patient.
This piece and reflection shows in such a powerful and clear way how complex a patient’s problems can be – suffering from addictions, mental health problems and problems with physical health. Sometimes one of these things will cause the others – The way that you painted the line starting out straight – followed by one knot and then followed by an increasing number of knots I think reflects this. The blue line representing the doctor is powerful – following the pattern of the knot – showing the continuity of care that a GP can have over many years seeing a patient’s life change over many years. It shows the extent of the support that a GP can offer, but as you reflected on, also the limitations – the GP cannot ‘make everything better for the individual, that is up for the patient to do’. Similarly I thought it was powerful how some other lines had their own knots, and how they were affected by the patient’s line to different extents. Really beautiful and powerful piece, really interesting reflection.
This painting and the attached description result in a very strong message coming across to the reader. The the knot in comparison to the other straight lines, suggests the complexity of the saddening and difficult situation the young man was in. It could be suggested that the man feels isolated as the other lines are moving away from himself, the knot.
I like how this picture represents the continuous development of the patient’s condition and the involvement of healthcare professionals throughout this time, as well as how it incorporates family and friends into a persons treatment, showing that more is needed to help someone with a mental illness than just doctors. I also like the contrast between the simplicity of the artwork and the complexity of the condition and the man’s situation as it represents well how conditions like this can be portrayed so negatively within the media but how there can be so much more going on beneath the surface that no one considers.
The piece, along with the text below, gives a sense of the flow of time within the patient’s life, and how, at this deep stage of alcoholism, he is constantly turning back on himself, and getting tangled up on the journey to progress. This, in turn, has had an effect on those around him, causing further knots, and other individuals to stay away, and you can imagine these other lines representing his friends, family, and children, who have tried to move out of his life. It gives a strong, raw, and effective portrayal of the destructive effects of addiction, both on the patient, and their loved ones, as well as highlighting how the clinician has tried to remain as a constant throughout the patient’s life in order to help untangle him. A very well composed piece, that effortlessly expresses pain, solitude, and helplessness, experienced by a whole network of people.
Simplistic but eye-catching design with a powerful message- the isolating and painful path that alcohol and drug misuse can lead to. The black line represents the patient’s struggle to break free from his cycle of self-destruction as the lines keep getting tangled with no way out. The surrounding lines represent close family and friends who share the burden of the patient’s alcoholism- we can see that some appear to be “caught” in the web whilst others are completely pushed away, showing their helplessness to change the outcome. It also effectively conveys the limitations of healthcare in situations such as these- doctors can only support the patient, maintaining that continuity of care. However, the complexity of the situation does not have a purely medical solution. Overall, this piece evokes a strong emotional response in the audience, warning us of the damaging effects of addiction.
I found this piece very striking. It reminds me that as hard as doctors may try there will be patients whose situations are very complex and pain extends far beyond their clinical diagnosis. Watching a patient’s wellbeing decline is frustrating and upsetting since there will always be a degree to which their life is out of your control. The patient narrative is shown here not as a snapshot but as a journey; while to you they are one of many patients, their life and struggle continues outside of the doors of professional practices.
I think this piece is beautiful and extremely moving, showing the impact of complex conditions such as addiction on both the patient and those around them, including the physician. i was particularly touched by the blue lines: the fact that the doctor is involved in the patients life and cares about this man even as he is unable to help is shown by how closely the blue line to the immediate left of the black one follows it but doesn’t touch it; the next blue line to the right’s interaction with the black one is also poignant as I think it shows someone trying to help the man and being unable to; the lightest blue one may represent someone that the patient lost contact with at the start of his problems with substance abuse. I believe this piece is important as it shows that issues that an individual is dealing with effect more than just them, and also highlights the importance of doctors looking after themselves as it may be quite distressing to watch someone in such a bad situation and be unable to help them.
This piece is moving and carries many messages. The idea of the knot representing the individual and their struggle not only shows their isolation, from how their knot does not interlink with the threads surrounding it, but also a very raw insight into the ruminating loneliness felt by the patient. The vibrant colours surrounding the black thread seem almost jarring in comparison, shining light on how alienated addicts can be by the uniformity of society around them, and how difficult it can be for them to fit in. Finally, the relative straightness of the other threads seems to shine a light on society’s ignorance/naivety towards the inner turmoil experienced by addicts.
I find this painting profound due to the visualisation of how easy it is in life to get tangled up in addiction, and how others around us seem to live such colourful and simple lives. The contrast between the black knot and the plethora of colours symbolises the loneliness that addiction can bring, and how much better others’ lives can appear. It is a poignant reminder that others’ lives may not always be as bright as they seem.