Nise Da Silveira

The Lady of the images of the Unconscious

Nise was born in Maceió in the state of Alagoas on the 15th of February, 1905.

She was an only child to the journalist and maths teacher Faustino Magalhães da Silveira and musician Maria Lídia.

At the age of 15 she entered Bahia School of Medicine
She was the only woman in a class of 158 students.
She graduated in 1926, defending her thesis “An essay on the criminality of women in Brazil”.

In 1927 she moved to Rio de Janeiro with her husband Mário Magalhães da Silveira, a public health doctor.

She gained her work experience at the neurology clinic in the National Faculty of Medicine at the University of Brazil.

Under the guidance and encouragement of her Professor Emérito Antônio Austregésilo, Nise decided to enter a psychiatry contest.
On the 27th of April, 1933 at the age of 29 she won a public contest in the area of psychiatry.

On March 26th, 1936 she was arrested at the hospital where she was doing her internship at the University of Brazil.

She was accused of being a member of a communist group and was taken to room 4 of the Frei Caneca prison.

During the same year in 1937, 4 days after her arrest Nise was dismissed from public service. After a year and four months in prison Nise was liberated because there were no criminal proceedings.

And in 1938 she was released from public service due to the consequences of the political accusations. In 1944 after 8 years of absence from public service Nise was reinstated as a medical psychiatrist

And sent to work at Pedro II Psychiatric Centre in Rio de Janeiro. In 1946 she rebelled against the aggressive methods of treatment such as lobotomies, electric shock treatment and insulin comas.

Nise founded STOR – the Sector of Occupational Therapy for Rehabilitation, where she set up drawing and painting ateliers. And later more than 25 other ateliers and group activities.

In 1949 she organised the first exhibition “Nine Artists of Engenho de Dentro” of paintings by the patients, from the production of images of their unconscious. This exhibition created a debate among art critics about the artistic value of artworks made by schizophrenics.

On may 20th, 1952 the Museum of the Images of the Unconscious was founded, with a collection of more than 350 thousand artworks. In 1954 nise wrote to Jung after she had gathered a series of circular images created by the patients,
inquiring if they could be considered mandalas.

Fourteen days later, Jung replied to Nise thanking her for sending the fotos of the mandalas. During the same year in 1954, encouraged by Jung, she founded the first C.G.Jung study group, which to the present day is still up and running. This fact is proof of Nise’s pioneering work in introducing Jungian psychology to Brazil and latin america.

In 1956 she founded Casa das Palmeiras (meaning the palm trees house) a non-lucrative rehabilitation space, considered by Nise to be a small “free territory” which is a cultural centre. Casa das Palmeiras is a creative space and a research centre for the series of images of the unconscious.

On the 3rd of october 1956 Jung invited nise to take part in studies at the C.G.Jung Institute, in zurich.

Ladies and gentlemen, the writer invites dr. Nise da silveira to take part in the 1957 summer semester at the jung institute, zurich. The courses, the seminars and contact with my collaborators will be of great importance to prepare the exhibition of psychopathological art, to be organized on the occasion of the international congress of psychiatry – zurich 1957. It will be my pleasure to receive dr. Nise da silveira to strengthen the connection between the psychiatrists of brazil and those of switzerland. This is of importance for the future of psychology as well as psychiatry.

(Read letter-I)

In 1957 Jung invited her to participate in the Second International Congress of Psychiatry in Zurich. Nise presented the exhibition “Scizophrenia Through Images”.

In 1957, referred by Jung, Nise started undergoing analysis with Marie Louise Von Franz.

In june 1957 Nise was welcomed by Jung at his residence in Kunsnacht, where they discussed their ideas and work.
Jung recommended that Nise should deepen her knowledge of mythology in order to learn about the basic structures of the psyche.

In 1960 she became the founding member of Société Internacionale de Psychopathologie de Léxpression, at the headquarters in paris.

Nise returned to Zurich between 1961 and 1964 in order to deepen her studies of analytical psychology, and to research images of the unconscious at the C.G.Jung Institute.

She was forced to retire in 1975 and organised the exhibition “Images of the Unconscious” in Rio de Janeiro, to commemorate the centenary of Jung´s birth.

She died at the age of 94 on the 30th of October, 1999
“After my death I want to be remembered with emotion”.

By Vera Macedo