A Life in the Day
Using images to capture and share service users' spirituality
Hazel Bryce Lorraine

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To cite this document:
Hazel Bryce Lorraine, (2009),"Using images to capture and share service users' spirituality", A Life in the Day, Vol. 13 Iss 4
pp. 12 - 15
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SPIRITUALITY

Using images to
capture and share
service users’
spirituality
Hazel Bryce and Lorraine

This article explores some of the images and words that service users choose to capture and represent their unique
spirituality. It was written using mate; rial that service users produced as part of two projects focusing on spirituality and
hope. The first project involved a group where service users were given a camera to capture something that represented
their spirituality. The second project involved producing material for an art exhibition entitled Growing Hope, that was
showcased in Sheffield as part of World Mental Health Day 2009.
The article is written by Hazel Bryce, an occupational therapist working in an assertive outreach team (SORT) in Sheffield,
and Lorraine, a service user who worked on the two projects and who has an interest in spirituality. They reflect
together on the process of being involved in the projects and the meaning of this piece of work. The article was written
together to try to capture a range of perspectives.
Key words: Spirituality; Hope; Mental health; Images; Recovery

pirituality as a concept is hard to define and
encompasses a broad range of experiences. We
are all unique and thus express and interpret
our spirituality in different ways. When asked what
spirituality meant to the participants of this project, a
variety of responses were received.

S

‘Spirituality means everything and nothing – it
is incomprehensible.’
‘Spirituality means paradise.’
‘Spirituality is the ongoing life of the spirit,
giving me hope and optimism.’
‘Spirituality to me is something which I go to
seek guidance, refuge and comfort. It is a part

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of my life, and an element of my recovery. It is
about faith and trust.’
These responses, at some level, all encompass hope.
In a recent briefing on spirituality and mental health,
the Mental Health Foundation – which has been at
the forefront of raising awareness of the importance
of spirituality – makes the claim that:
‘[spirituality] can provide a sense of belonging
and hope, as well as enhance coping
strategies and sense of control.’ (Mental Health
Foundation, 2008)
This quote is something that Lorraine continues to
experience throughout her life. She feels strongly that
her spirituality helps to give her a sense of hope. By

A life in the day Volume 13 Issue 4 November 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd

Using images to capture and share service users’ spirituality
understanding and acknowledging what gives people
hope, it can be used and drawn upon throughout life
and in times of difficulty. As a service, understanding
people’s spirituality helps us to support people better.
The concept of ‘spirituality’ for this project and article
is taken to be ‘what gives your life hope and meaning’.

I kept my stone in a special place, and added to
it a stone from Iona that Chrissie [SORT worker]
brought back for me. Since then I have collected
a few special stones. They represent my Christian
faith as they are solid, pleasant to feel and look at,
firm and indestructible.’

Use of images
I became interested in different modes of representing and
expressing spirituality, especially using images, metaphors,
and photography. Creativity is linked to spirituality. In our
NHS Trust leaflet, spirituality is described as:

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‘The journey towards meaning and purpose in
life. Self-expression, relationships and mental
health are closely linked with our spiritual
state.’ (Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS
Foundation Trust, 2008)
Images and metaphors are a form of self-expression,
which can be used to represent concepts that cannot
easily be described. Images have been used to
represent spirituality widely over the years, from icons
in the Orthodox Church to stained glass windows.
Some of the best known painters such as Michelangelo,
and Leonardo da Vinci use religion and spirituality as
their inspiration. This art is challenging and intriguing,
full of the extraordinary mystery of faith, portraying
complex symbolism. These works can calm the senses
and inspire the soul, connecting people to their
spiritual side (Davis, 2005).
Within different cultures, people learn to associate
specific visual images with meanings (Banks, 2001). I
encouraged service users to find their own meanings in
the images that they captured. The images demonstrate
a combination of people’s own unique meanings, and
of societies commonly held perceptions. These have
shaped and influenced the service users’ choice of
images. When considering the images, it was important
for me to take a step back and acquire a broader
perspective, being aware of how I was interpreting the
images according to my own experience.

1. Stone

2. Picture
‘This reminds me of getting through the day,
going into God’s peaceful, eternal rest and sleep.’

2. Picture © Dick Twinney

3. Reservoir
‘When I think of God I think of the light
reflecting off the lake.’

3. Reservoir

Images
Here are a selection of the images produced by service
users with explanations.

4. Stone
1. Stone
This stone represents my spiritual life. I chose it
out of a bowl when I was on an organised day
retreat with the Chaplin at Northern General
Hospital. We were asked to choose a stone. I was
so impressed by Holy Rood House that I made
further enquiries and went to stay there on a
residential retreat. There I met the two vicars and
other friendly staff who worked there. I went there
at least once a year for a week and took friends
there and made new friends. I took Maisy [my dog]
and she was a much loved guest in the house too.

‘It makes me feel safe and reminds me of the
group.’

4. Stone

A life in the day Volume 13 Issue 4 November 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd

13

Using images to capture and share service users’ spirituality
My road along life
My road along life
started off very happily ….
Beautiful fields
of golden corn glistening in the sunshine

I spluttered, struggled, drowning in my well of self
pity.
I had been in my well, quite some time.
Crying a lot.
Then one day.
A wise, old gorilla appeared.

Beautiful animals
feeding on the luscious green foliage.
The wintery, fresh iciness brought purity to the air.
It was good to breathe!

He said
‘I have a rope ladder,
pull yourself out of your
madness and despair,
into the light
walk back on your road
again.’

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I was a, thoroughly happy,
Care free
Financially secure,
Beautiful,
Young lady.

Then the dark days descended
My road started to have twists and turns.
I didn’t like it.
I was scared.
Then it became not a road at all.
A jungle,
That I need to hack through to take the tinniest of
steps.
Here the wickedest of spirits dwelt and the toughest
of animals
I could only survive.
Eventually
I tripped and fell
Down a well,
of loneliness, and despair.
The wicked spirit’s voices
plagued me day and night.

My first step on the rope ladder took courage
A friendly sheep barred down
‘Come on, come on up,
have faith in yourself.
You can climb up
Out of this isolation.
You may find your lovely road’.
So I did.
With plenty of persuasion
Rung by rung, I tentatively climbed my way out.
The sheep always encouraging, barring away.
I continued into the light.
I know that my road has changed
And it is still a pebbly path.
But on it, step by step,
I am walking.
No longer drowning,
In my well of self pity.

Poems
Two users wrote poetry about what hope encompasses
for them and then inserted images to capture the
essence of the poems. Above is one of them by
Lorraine, called My road along life.

Evaluation
This project opened my eyes to the value of explaining
complex phenomenon using images and metaphors.
It helped me to understand service users’ spirituality
better, and how to provide more appropriate support
at times of distress. By discussing and sharing the
images as part of a group, it connected people to each
other, making service users feel not as alone, and more

14

understood. Lorraine described the value of the visual
as allowing her to say things that she cannot easily put
into words:
‘By taking an image/photo, it allowed me to
better understand what gives me hope now and
in the future. Talking to others and listening to
others enabled me to better understand others,
and relate to their pictures, it made me feel
accepted.’
She felt very encouraged and hopeful:

A life in the day Volume 13 Issue 4 November 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd

Using images to capture and share service users’ spirituality
‘Understanding my spirituality better made me
feel happier, and more able to draw upon that
resource. I feel that it is very important for
workers to understand service users’ spirituality,
and provide support in this area in times of
distress.’
Other comments included:
‘Looking at the picture that we took gives me
hope.’

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‘I had forgotten about the stones, finding them
again I have re-established a bond with them,
making me want to treasure them. I have been
reminded several times of positive memories
and drawn strength from the stones.’

Reflections about the
process
Capturing images was a new concept to many of
the service users. They required encouragement to
focus on the images, and not to be overly concerned
about the quality of the images that were produced
and their photography skills. Service users had to be
comfortable in sharing the images and this may have
influenced the photos taken. Time and location were
factors in what images could be captured; this was
especially true with the poems.
Reflexivity is vital in any area of work and especially
when using and interpreting images (Pink, 2001). Did
service users produce images that they thought would
be easily displayed and that would please me?
I have learned through this project that it is not
predominately about the images that were created but

the process involved in taking them, the individual
learning, and the shared belonging that was created by
talking about the images.

“By exploring
images, service

Future work?

users can gain

This was a small piece of work, and we would like
to explore how other phenomena can be captured
and understood through using images. We would
also like to see how people’s images of spirituality
change according to their stage in recovery, and
further explore the use of images with poetry. The
individuals and the group would like to continue to
capture and discuss images that have significance and
meaning for them.
Overall, we feel that images can be used and
explored widely within a variety of contexts, to capture
and explain complex ideas. By exploring images,
service users can gain understanding, connect with
others, and have a reminder of an image to draw upon
throughout their lives.

understanding,
connect
with others,
and have a
reminder of
an image to
draw upon
throughout
their lives.”

References
Banks M (2001) Visual Methods in Social Research. London:
Sage.
Davis J (2005) Sacred Art. Hampshire: Jarold Publishing.
Mental Health Foundation (2008) Need 2 Know. Executive
Briefing: Spirituality and mental health. London: Mental
Health Foundation.
Pink S (2001) Doing Visual Ethnography: Images, media and
representation in research. London: Sage.
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
(2008) Exploring Spiritual and Faith Needs. Sheffield:
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust.

For more information email Hazel Bryce at hazel.bryce@shsc.nhs.uk (on maternity
leave till summer 2010) or Chrissie Hinde at Chrissie.hinde@shsc.nhs.uk; telephone
0114 226 4800.
Hazel Bryce is an occupational therapist working with an assertive outreach team in
Sheffield (SORT). SORT works with service users who have complex mental health
needs in the community.

Lorraine is a service user who worked on this project and has an interest in spirituality.

A life in the day Volume 13 Issue 4 November 2009 © Pier Professional Ltd

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