2 months ago, I broke a shiboridashi that I'd acquired very recently, but for which I've become very attached. Its aesthetics, its use, but also the story of its creation and the history of its potter. He kindly offered to replace it at a reduced price. But I refused. I had it repaired. Several weeks of contemplation and reflection on Kintsugi repair followed.
Kintsugi is a Japanese repair technique for ceramics and glass, in which fragments (or small missing fragments) are glued back together with urushi lacquer. This natural plant resin offers high mechanical strength for ceramic reconstitution and high thermal resistance, compatible with the use of boiling water. Urushi lacquer is being researched for its use as a green biomaterial in nanotechnology, for example (Moreno et al. 2023. ACS Macro Lett.).
This type of repair takes a minimum of several weeks, punctuated by sanding and drying, and the application of various coats of lacquer. In addition to its functionality, Kintsugi is an artistic skill that has given rise to unique works, exhibitions and the conservation of repaired ceramics by great masters. The use of gold is well known in Kintsugi, with gold particles mixed into the final layer of lacquer.
Because of the time involved, the cost of the raw material and the artistic nature of the technique, this is an expensive technique that also has another meaning in psychology: resilience.
Kintsugi in modern scientific literature
While the spiritual meaning and psychological dimension of Kintsugi are well documented in Asia and in writings on psychology, philosophy and history, this discussion is much more recent in the literature of the Humanities and Social Sciences. This is particularly true post-2020/2021, i.e. after the COVID19 pandemic.
A number of essays have been written by researchers in the humanities and social sciences looking at the status of healthcare professionals in the face of the pandemic, during and after. These publications share several common notions: “breaking”, “mourning”, “putting back together in one piece”, “reforging”, “making more beautiful than before”, “showing and embracing one's wounds”. At least 30% of healthcare professionals reportedly experienced post-traumatic stress disorder after the first outbreaks of cases. A situation that has also affected society as a whole, due to its unexpected nature and helplessness in the face of illness. In a publication on managing post-traumatic stress disorder, Tedeschi et al. proposed working on 5 areas of life: appreciation of life, relationships with others, personal strength, recognition of new possibilities and spiritual change (Tedeschi et al. 2017). It's a line of development that comes close to the 6Rs, a model of trauma-related psychotherapy that can be applied to healthcare professionals (Arielle Schwartz, 2019).
“The Kintsugi spirit” is part of this trauma management through the recognition of trauma (= the ceramic is broken), the repair process (= the fragments are meticulously prepared, examined, resoldered, over time and not a “superglue 5 minutes chrono), the restoration of the relationship (= ceramic and tea, repairer and user, ceramic and user, repairer and ceramic) and contemplation (Patricia Lynn Dobkins, 2022. Can Fam Physician).
Indeed, the cracks are not hidden; they are highlighted by lacquer (with or without precious metals), perfectly visible. A certain beauty emerges, the first steps in use are hesitant, but by rediscovering sensations when tasting in the newness and memories, healing of the trauma takes place (= a cherished piece has broken, it can be used again, in a new form, with a new meaning).
Based on this reflection, surveys carried out among doctors have focused on the critical point of felure caused by the pandemic. Prioritizing essential tasks, recognizing what they can accomplish medically, working as a team again and forging new links with members of other teams and other professions such as research, putting themselves back at the heart of society, recognizing the importance of mental health among healthcare professionals and discrimination (Patricia Lynn Dobkins, 2022. Can Fam Physician).
An essay by Amy Price takes this a step further, stressing the importance of the grieving process, but also of “radical empathy”. This is a transformative process in which we recognize and accept our mental wounds, whatever they may be. Repair is a choice, both in forgiving ourselves and in trusting the community (It “symbolizes the truth that repair requires transformation, that purity is less beautiful than brokenness, and that it is impossible to see our form until it is fractured, until a wound, like a crack, extends its full length.” Amy Price, 2021. BMJ).
This Kintsugi identity could also be applied to the way of thinking about clinical practice, in particular the way of reappropriating certain techniques deemed imperfect but whose life is finally recognized, such as cases of reoccurrence of cardiac pulmonary stenosis despite successful intervention (Borelli and Lo Rito, 2022). A thought process that could also prove interesting in the management of psychotic episodes, since it is the person's entire identity that is turned upside down (Harris et al. 2021. Early Int. In psy).
Warning: This article is by no means an article by a psychology professional. Consequently, in the event of suspicion or detection of psychological disorders or episodes of psychological distress, it is important to consult one's health professionals (general practitioner, psychologist, psychiatrist, psychiatric emergency service, etc.).
Warning 2: This article is first and foremost a starting point for reflection on the notion of Kintsugi in SHS. As I'm not an expert in the field, there may be some inaccuracies. The aim of this article is to draw an interesting parallel between the Art itself, elements of reflection borrowed from the technique and my own personal experience of Kintsugi repair.
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