Casa Colina Hosts Patient-Created Art Exhibit Focusing on Chronic Pain

Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare has announced a new on-site art exhibition displaying patient-created images that depict their perspectives on chronic pain. In recognition of Chronic Pain Awareness Month, the exhibit is available for viewing by patients, staff, and visitors to Casa Colina Hospital during the month of September.

“I am excited to be a part of this insightful exhibit,” said exhibit designer Daniel Skenderian, PhD, Clinical and Health Psychologist at Casa Colina. “Each image represents its artist’s perspective and depiction of their own individual chronic pain. These new models help medical staff consider comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment options instead of just focusing on medication or surgery to relieve chronic pain.”

The exhibit includes all original drawings created by Casa Colina patients who have received inpatient care for various types of chronic pain. Each image is identified by the artist’s gender, age, and type of chronic pain. The drawings are the result of the prompt, “If you could visualize your pain in your mind, what would it look like?”

“All the pictures are quite different, but there are also commonalities, such as the use of the color red to represent pain,” added Skenderian. “The use of color, design, and intensity all demonstrate an emotional component of pain. Although each patient experiences pain differently, these models provide very insightful perspectives.”

With chronic pain afflicting more than 25 percent of the U.S. adult population, modern medicine continues to conduct research to further manage and understand the origins of chronic pain, which is defined as ongoing or recurrent pain that lasts beyond the usual course of acute illness or injury and that adversely affects the individual's well-being.