A pioneer of therapy through spontaneous plastic expression, Doutora Nise da Silveira

This article retraces Nise da Silveira’s contribution to psychiatry in Brazil in the early XXth century, and the encounters which marked her, especially the one she had with C.G. Jung. She pioneered a movement to offer patients, many of whom had been hospitalized for long periods of time, the opportunity and means to express themselves and communicate, and she continually enhanced and developed such programs. The author also mentions the difficult stories of certain patients, in parallel with the amazing creativity they were able to express in institutions founded by Doctor Nise.