Occupational therapy and rehabilitation ward

The fundamental law of creation is activity.
– Hermann Simon (1937)

When Dr. Nise returned to the public service and set up the Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Ward at Hospital do Engenho de Dentro in 1946, her challenge was to reinforce occupational therapy as a legitimate method, free from the “mere hobby” label that this technique had acquired in an environment aligned with the emerging treatments of the time. Therapy was prescribed to patients referred by psychiatrists from other wards of the hospital, and the quality of what was produced there should not be taken into account.
The activities could be functional (gardening, bookbinding, sewing, cobbling), expressive (painting, modeling, music), recreational (games, parties, cinema) or cultural—related to teaching and studying. They were prescribed either to encourage the assertion of individuality and freedom of expression or to provide immediate satisfaction, offering means for sociability.

We have neither table nor chair. We will work on the floor.
– Nise da Silveira

Instead of using the term “occupational therapy”, which is as heavy as a cobblestone, we will use this subtle, rich expression: the “Emotion of Coping” 
– Nise da Silveira

I have “Lampião’s” spirit within me… And if I hadn’t, I would have been crushed a long time ago.
– Nise da Silveira

However, it was Dr. Nise’s good mood, her vast culture, her humanitarian spirit, and her passion for life which made her so unique. She was not only a clever person, but also someone with a rare sensitivity. She loved the beauty of Apollo but cultivated Dionysus’ unbridled nature. […] She used to say that she had learned more from Machado de Assis than from Freud. But she wouldn’t abandon Freud in favor of Machado de Assis. Nise was a master of profound and sacred things. 
– Luiz Carlos Mello (2014)