Bracketing (In)(Out)

Bracketing (In)(Out) by Rae Sabine

This piece emerged after an art therapy supervision session, a raw and messy reflection on bracketing in or out my identity as a chronically ill therapist and supervisor.

The heavy black brushstrokes represent bracketing out my illness during sessions, pushing it aside and containing it so I can hold space fully for participants. They feel jagged and storm like, mirroring how chronic illness intrudes and demands ongoing management.

Beneath the darkness, layers of blue, yellow, orange, and hints of a hidden horizon represent moments of bracketing in, when I bring parts of my lived experience back into the therapy room. My illness does not just take. It deepens empathy and sharpens insights.

The reddish-pink ground feels exposed, like raw vulnerability, the embodied reality of pain, fatigue, and emotion I navigate every day as both person and professional. It reflects the tension I hold around what is invisible and what is visible in my work and my life.

In this chaotic, emergent painted mess, there is no clean separation. Identity is not static. Bracketing in or out is a constant reflexive practice. Illness neither fully dominates nor disappears. It challenges, yes, but it also enriches.

I am grateful for supervision as a confidential space to explore this push and pull without words. Sometimes the painting says it better.

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