Embedded Files
Reflections on a challenging trip down memory lane...
I heard about this field trip last year from another parent chaperone and waited twelve long months for a shot at attending. I was not disappointed! Our whole day felt slightly surreal, beginning with our viewing of Baz Luhrmann’s vision of The Great Gatsby on the bus while rain, sleet, and snow pelted down outside. We passed stranded cows on tiny islands of grass surrounded by flooded fields and washed out roads as we sped through depressed portions of West Virginia. Finally, as we began our final approach, the horror of the PBS documentary, The Lobotomist, laid the groundwork for our arrival to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.
I was taken aback by the sheer size and scope of the asylum as we pulled in. Its architecture is quite impressive and surprising, given its rural location. It seemed fitting that it didn’t have heat and gave us a chill throughout our tour. I love that it is second only in size to The Kremlin as a cut-stone marvel. Both buildings are awe-inspiring and ominous to the observer. I couldn't help but think of the many dark moments that have taken place within both stone edifices. Not having sat in on all the grade 11 English readings this year, I was quite glad that PBS provided some history of psychiatry as practiced during TALA’s active period. We were well-prepared for all we saw when we climbed off the bus for our tour.
Our guide did a great job of helping us understand that this facility was originally conceived as a huge step forward in supporting and treating the mentally ill, who had previously been abused and/or ignored by family members and society as a whole. Sadly, the early science behind psychiatry was shaky, and many who came to TALA either didn’t belong there (like discarded wives) or suffered useless and/or harmful treatments, such as shock therapy, extended ice baths, and lobotomies. As time wore on, terrible overcrowding added to the abuse.
It appears that women often saw the worst of TALA, both as patients and as caregivers. We heard stories of long working hours, only female nurses on many wards with violent patients, and domineering male doctors who could not be questioned. But there were also many trappings of kindness hidden in the walls there, like gathering rooms for socializing on each ward, a ballroom for parties, the faint outline of shuffleboard on a wooden floor, and the vast grassy expanse out front for sports.
Our final moments at the asylum were spent viewing artifacts and artwork from asylum patients, and I was struck by the intimacy and humanity that poured forth from these tortured souls who suffered so much in their mental illness. I think those drawings and paintings affected me more than anything else we saw during out visit. The TALA tour brought home in vivid and stark detail how much progress the field of psychiatry and associated mental health care has seen in the last several decades. Drug therapy has been a huge game changer.
I am so appreciative of the generosity shown by the owners of TALA, who saved an important piece of history and are working to ensure it provides educational context to all who visit. Thanks so much for including me! I hope the students enjoyed the day as much as I did.
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