In times of unpredictable changes and challenges, when the external world constantly tests our resilience, practices that help restore inner balance and a sense of freedom become particularly important. Such was the deep and extremely significant art therapy session called “Breath of Wind”, which took place on August 28, 2025, at 11:00 AM at the Centre for Contemporary Art (room 302-C).
This event aimed at the symbolic processing of the themes of change, invisible influences, a sense of freedom and interaction, as well as the restoration of inner lightness for adult IDPs who have experienced traumatic events.
The metaphor of “wind” is incredibly multifaceted and influential in the context of art therapy, especially for people who have experienced trauma. It can symbolise uncertainty, the destructive force of changes and explosions that threaten safety, but at the same time, it is a source of purification, renewal, movement, and freedom. This practice allowed participants to safely visualise the invisible influences that shape their lives – emotions, memories, and events that often remain unspoken. Through creative expression, contrasting with the feeling of loss of control experienced during the war, participants could feel freedom. It also provided an opportunity to symbolically process change as an integral part of life that, despite everything, can bring renewal, while group interaction and supplementing each other's work strengthened the sense of community.
The practical part of the meeting began with each participant receiving a separate sheet of paper and various graphic materials ideally suited for the task. The main task was to create their own image of the “breath of wind”. This could be an abstract expression of colour movement symbolising emotions and internal processes, or figurative pictures of objects moving under the influence of wind, reflecting external changes and reactions to them.
After completing individual work, participants moved to the stage of mutual integration, where each had a unique opportunity to contribute to the works of others, complementing their “breath of wind” with their own vision and feeling. This stage was key to strengthening group dynamics and mutual understanding.
Overall, the “Breath of Wind” practice proved to be highly effective in providing psychological support. It created a safe space where participants could freely express and process complex emotions related to uncertainty and constant changes. The mutual integration of work significantly strengthened the sense of community and interaction, as each participant saw their creativity complemented and supported by others, which is an essential element in building trust. Through an uncontrolled, free creative process, a sense of freedom and inner lightness was restored. The act of participating in mutual complementary work fostered empathy and trust, and the visual confirmation that even in the most challenging circumstances, there is room for hope, renewal, and support became a valuable insight for many.
The event was moderated by Olena Ostrohliad, senior lecturer at the Department of Fine Arts, and Olena Kryvenko, assistant at the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, practical psychologist at Poltava Polytechnic.
The event was held as part of the international, large-scale EU-funded Erasmus+ KA220-ADU project “TRUST” – Trauma of refugees in Europe: An approach through art therapy as a solidarity program for Ukraine war victims (Grant No. 2024-BE01-KA220-ADU-000257527).
The project title is decoded as follows:
TRUST
T – Trauma
R – Refugees
U – Ukraine
S – Solidarity
T – Therapy
The project is co-funded by the EU and led by the Centre Neuro Psychiatrique St-Martin from Belgium, in partnership with the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” (Ukraine), Greek Carers Network EPIONI (Greece), Fondazione Don Luigi Di Liegro (Italy), Lekama Foundation (Luxembourg), EuroPlural Project (Portugal).
This project continues to play a key role in providing vital psychological support to victims of the war in Ukraine. Art therapy activities, similar to “Breath of Wind”, are powerful tools for emotional recovery, developing personal resilience, and finding new meanings in life. We express our sincere gratitude to our partners for their support, which enables us to implement such important initiatives as possible.
As a reminder, faculty members of Poltava Polytechnic are eligible to participate in academic mobility and internship programs. Students can study abroad through Erasmus+ credit academic mobility grant programs for a semester or a full academic year at leading universities in Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
For more detailed information on current internship, teaching, and academic mobility programs abroad, please get in touch with the International Relations Office (office 213-C, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the coordinator of international activities at the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” – Anna Pavelieva, Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation (email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +38-(095)-91-08-192).
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
