Art, science and humanity: an ode to what truly connects us

Yesterday, I received a message from Tim Batink – colleague, fellow ACT trainer, and in my view, one of the few people who truly embody the essence of ACT.

Anyone who knows him, knows he doesn't seek the spotlight. He’s humble. And precisely because of that, his impact is profound. He doesn't need many words – but when he speaks, it lands. Tim breathes ACT. Never on the foreground, yet always present. A quiet force. Modest, yet essential to the development of ACT in the Netherlands.

Tim sent me a reading suggestion:

Busch, Malkin & Belisle: Art in Context – A Multi-Level Analysis of Art

(2025, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science).

The title might sound a bit dry, but what lies underneath is pure fire.

As I began to read, I felt goosebumps. Almost with every word. Because there it was, in black and white, what I’ve been sensing for years:

Art and science amplify each other.

And nowhere is that interplay more urgently needed than in healthcare.

Why? Because healthcare is about people. About meaning. About creating space for what cannot be said, measured, or solved – but is undeniably there.

That requires a contextual lens.And that’s exactly where ACT – and its underlying Relational Frame Theory – comes in with such powerful force.

RFT explains how we humans give meaning through language – through the relationships between words and experiences.Art does exactly the same.

A painting, a sculpture, a piece of music – these are vessels of meaning.They open new frames.They touch something that often gets lost in clinical logic: our humanity.

That’s why I believe so deeply in what I call my life’s project:

Where ART meets Science.

A project that brings together my work as an audiologist, ACT trainer, and artist.

Not to create beauty for beauty’s sake,but to create movement.

To relearn how to listen.Not just with our ears – but with our hearts.

—

In my daily work, I meet people who are stuck:

People with tinnitus, hyperacusis, or disturbed by low-frequency sound.

And again and again, I see: It’s not just about what they hear,but about how they relate to what they hear.

How do you live with something you can’t control?How do you move with what hurts, without being broken by it? That’s where ACT comes in.And where art can be an incredible ally.

Because what happens when you look at a canvas that offers no solution,but still lets you feel: you’re not alone?

What happens when you realize that what touches you,can also move you forward?

—

And now, something remarkable is unfolding. I was contacted via LinkedIn by young doctors in Gaza.

Ismail Qwaider, Waleed Eleyan and Mahmoud Abu Al Amrain.

Their story speaks volumes.

They are in the midst of a humanitarian nightmare. Driven by ideals, knowledge, life force – but stripped of tools.

Their hands are literally tied. By violence, by shortages, by the destruction of infrastructure.

And yet, they stay. They want to care. To help.

Silent heroes.

When I read their message, I knew:

My art has to be more than image.

It must become a bridge. Between worlds. Between hope and reality.

I dream of a world in which the sale of my art – six of which will appear this year on the cover of ENT & Audiology News in over 100 countries – can mean something real for people like them, to save lives.

Imagine: a painting selling for €80,000 (like I saw at TEFAF, where works hang that I genuinely believe I can match – or even exceed – in depth and vision).

Let’s say I only make a quarter of that. Even then, with me, 60% doesn’t go to middlemen. 60% goes to Gaza. To these young doctors who need everything. Now.

And the rest?I’ll reinvest in growth. In my craft. In new projects where art and science unite.

To build a world that listens. That lives.

—

Let’s be honest.

We live in a time obsessed with speed. With profit, power, control.

But that’s not the path forward.

True wealth lies elsewhere.

In connection. In meaning. In the ability to be touched and to touch others.

That, to me, is what ACT is all about. Where art finds its home. And where humanity comes alive.

—

If you’ve been following me for a while,you might already sense it:

This is not a regular blog.

This is a call.

A question – for you, for all of us:

What if we learn to choose again?

Not for the most,but for the most meaningful.

Not for money,but for justice.

Not for power,but for humanity.

What if we used art, science, and care to truly make a difference?

The world is calling.

It’s time.

Let’s answer.

—

For those interested in the research underpinning this reflection:

• Busch, L., Malkin, A., & Belisle, J. (2025). Art in Context: A Multi-Level Analysis of Art. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100890

• Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2006). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An Experiential Approach to Behavior Change.

• Wilson, K. G., & DuFrene, T. (2009). Mindfulness for Two: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Mindfulness in Psychotherapy.

• Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience.

• Malchiodi, C. A. (2015). Art Therapy and Health Care.

• Leckey, J. (2011). The therapeutic effectiveness of creative activities on mental well-being: a systematic review of the literature. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 18(6), 501–509.

• De Botton, A., & Armstrong, J. (2013). Art as Therapy. Phaidon Press.