Colouring has long been known as a way to unwind and entertain. However, its benefits extend far beyond just passing the time in primary school classes. Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung is well known to have used the drawing and colouring of Mandalas – circular patterns from Eastern traditions – as both a diagnostic and therapeutic device. Based on the fact that unconnected individuals so often constructed similar patterns, Jung concluded that there was a ‘transconscious disposition in every individual’ (Harold, Reference Harold1985) to produce the same symbols in different places at different times. He therefore saw Mandalas, and colouring, as a way of accessing the Collective Unconscious.
While creating one’s own Mandala is a traditionally religious or spiritual practice, especially within the Eastern Philosophy of Buddhism, colouring in of a pre-drawn design has gained popularity as a Mindfulness exercise in the Western world. There are now many books in the market with various themes and patterns. Online bookseller Amazon has an entire section dedicated to ‘Adult Colouring’, and there are copious testimonials about their stress-relieving properties. For example, Lisa Halpern MPP, director of Recovery Services at Vinfen (a non-profit organisation in Cambridge Massachusetts offering Psychiatric and Support services to people with Mental Illness) was diagnosed with Schizophrenia as a graduate student in Harvard University. Halpern advocates brain training as a component of a recovery-focussed model of care. Specifically, she has used Colouring and other brain-training activities to target the negative symptoms of Schizophrenia which her Clozapine treatment does not alleviate (Friedrich, Reference Friedrich2014).
Colouring books have also generated interest in academic circles, and there have been a handful of studies into their use in a variety of medical settings. The potential benefits range from relaxation and occupation to education. Colouring books have been used as part of Art Therapy programmes in Geriatric and Psychiatric units, and to teach children about diagnostic imaging procedures in order to alleviate their anticipatory anxiety (Journal of Child Health Care, Reference Johnson, Steele, Russell, Moran, Fredericks and Jennings2009; American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Reference Cohen-Mansfield, Marx, Dakheel-Ali and Thein2015).
Journey Through the Brain is a very beautifully presented book, which marries Neuroanatomical and Neuropsychiatric teaching with intricate and interesting patterns. There is a pleasing variety of complexity of pattern. The ‘Brain Circuitry’ picture offers a tortuous image of interconnected wires representing sulci and gyri, for those days when one wants to spend hours meticulously poring over a page. At the other end of the spectrum is the more impressionistic image of the ‘Biomarker Sea’ for when one is looking for a simpler, shorter colouring break from the stresses of the day.
The book was developed by a team in The Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland (RCSI) in order to ‘spark young people’s interest in the science of the brain’. The text accompanying the drawings is pitched to young adults at a level that is easy to understand, but not condescending. It presents key information about the brain in language that is accessible, and the corresponding illustrations help make complex concepts such as DNA/RNA transcription comprehensible and tangible. The ‘Brain Map’ presents wonderfully imaginative drawings figuratively representing the anatomical location of various brain structures and functions (such as the Library in the Temporal Lobe and Observatory in the Occipital Lobe). For clinicians working in Psychiatric or Neurological fields it will not provide new information, but it does give excellent metaphorical representations of concepts which could help inform psychoeducation sessions with patients and families.
The Creators of the book have written guidelines for teachers on how to use the book, for example, as a resource from which to develop a class or workshop on the brain. There is also an accompanying document with additional information on the structures and processes described in the book which is free to download from the RCSI website. The book was developed with funding from the Health Research Board, and is available to download for free from the RCSI website. However, the physical book itself is beautifully bound in a cover which has embossed gold detailing and pictorial representations of interconnecting molecules. Furthermore, the quality of the paper in the published version is much higher than typical printing paper, making it a more pleasurable colouring experience. The hard copy version costs E10 and profits from its sale go to the Peter McVerry Trust and Pieta House. I would certainly recommend it as a gift for budding young neuro-scientists and stressed Psychiatry non-consultant hospital doctors alike!
Conflicts of Interest
Dr Roisin Plunkett works as a part time Clinical Lecturer in Psychiatry in RCSI. She did not receive any incentives or supports, financial or otherwise, for writing this review.
