How Creating Can Help Us Heal Our Trauma Wounds
Trauma. Such a looming and loaded word for many of us. For some, you know it’s there and you’re not ready to face it, for others, you may be courageously facing it now, and for others yet still, you’ve may have faced it and risen.
When it comes to healing trauma, the path is never linear, nor is there one specific kind of path. Right here, right now, I’m speaking from my own experience, and giving insight into the profundity of creating, and healing trauma through creative expression.
Trauma is a deeply personal experience that can leave wounds and lasting scars on the Mind and Spirit, or even the Body. Yet, amidst the pain, chaos and confusion, there exists a powerful tool for healing: creating.
Creating can look like art making, painting and drawing; it can look like writing poetry or short stories; it can sound like making music, writing songs, producing tunes or dancing; it can show up in the form of gardening, cooking, pottery, wood working… you name it! There are tons of avenues to choose when it comes to CREATING something.
The act of creating art has been shown to offer solace, empowerment, and transformation to those navigating the tumultuous waters of trauma recovery. I’m hear to speak directly to this.
When I began doing healing work, and stepping into the world of personal development, one of the first things I did was dig back into the roots of my being: I’m an artist, so I started painting again.
I painted everything. I used up old canvases, new canvases, and trash. I collaged, and collected, and drew, and sculpted. I poured the grief and the pain from my healing journey out of my Body and into the world for all to see, and with each brush stroke, each finished work of art, I felt lighter. I could look at what I had crafted and better understand some of the darkness that had been plaguing my heart.
In fact, during a meditation session with my therapist, she invited me to meditate on my heart center, and find the grief that I was feeling there. She had me describe it in great detail… how it felt, where it was located, what color it was, its texture… which Parts of me it affected the most. We dug deep.
After that session I took it to canvas creating a piece that I simply titled, “Grief.”
About that piece, I wrote the following:
In the healing process, and the spiritual reclaiming of your spirit, in shedding the past, there is often grief. Grief in accepting things that have happened to us that shouldn't have, grief in accepting people for who they are, grief in mourning things we wish had been different, grief in letting go of the things that formed your identity for so long, that no longer serve you. In order to grow beyond the shackles of our past we must accept, and we must let go, because we must make space for what's to come. Like a spider molting her skin, we must move through the discomfort of something that didn't fit, releasing control, to emerge on the other side, new, and better than before.
The act of creating it was a great moment of healing the actual grief that I was feeling for experiences I lost or never had in my childhood.
Closer to the very beginning of my healing journey, I created another painting, utilizing collage elements, that I titled, “Body, Heal Thyself.” The work was a reflection of what I felt like on the inside at the time. Tarred. Weighed down. Drowning. Darkness staining my sparkle. I even wrote a poem to go right along with it.
The act of processing those emotions through creative means set me out on the path you find me on today. Healed, whole, new, expanding.
Art making has always been so KEY for me, in processing cumbersome emotions and feelings. It can be one of the most cathartic processes known to human existence.
Let’s explore some of the profound benefits of art-making as a therapeutic modality for healing trauma:
Expression Beyond Words - Trauma often leaves survivors feeling overwhelmed. The heavy emotions we are often left with defy verbal expression. Art provides a unique outlet for communicating such complex feelings when words simply aren’t enough. Through painting, drawing, sculpting, or other forms of creation, we can externalize inner turmoil, giving shape and form to experiences that transcend conventional language.
Empowerment - One of the most debilitating aspects of trauma is the sense of powerlessness it instills. Even something that happened during childhood can leave us battling fight, flight or freeze responses, daily, leaving us feeling exhausted and lifeless. Engaging in art-making restores a sense of empowerment and personal agency. Creating can allow you to regain control of the narrative, making us feel more like active creators, instead of passive victims. The things we create can be a reflection of our resilience and strength.
Emotional Release - This is huge. When we create, we give our pain somewhere to live outside of our bodies. Art-making becomes a safe space for processing and releasing tightly held emotions like fear, and anger. In putting this out into the world, we can release it from our Body, which allows us to view these Parts of ourselves, outside of ourselves. I can’t express how deeply healing this feels, to see, for example, RAGE, made manifest on a 36 by 48 inch canvas in shades of black and red, covered with texture, smoldering, looking back at me, relieved to have been released.
Mindfulness and Flow - Engaging in art-making encourages us to step into mindfulness, self-compassion and flow state. These are pretty essential ingredients for trauma recovery, and any kind of healing, or health and wellness journey. As you immerse yourself in the creative process, learn to be present with your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Open yourself up to be a conduit through which your emotions travel into the thing you’re creating. Sometimes, when I get into this state, I find that hours have gone by without a thought, and when I come up for air, I am often more relaxed, and at-ease than when I started.
Resilience and Hope - Creating something nurtures a sense of resilience by providing the creator with tangible evidence of their inner strength and resourcefulness. Each brushstroke, each sculpted form, each musical note… whatever it is… is a testament to our capacity to FEEL, and overcome, and create beauty out of that chaos. Through artistic endeavors, we can cultivate a sense of hope for the future, believing in the possibility of healing and renewal.
While trauma can be haunting, and stepping into a healing journey can feel daunting, amidst the darkness, creating offers a beacon of light, guiding us onward toward a path of self-discovery and transformation.
Through the act of creation, we can find solace, empowerment, and ultimately, the healing and inner peace we’re seeking. As we embrace the therapeutic power of creativity, we begin to recognize its capacity to uplift and inspire us, and guide us toward a future filled with hope and possibility.
So, will you try it? Will you answer the call, and begin a new creative practice? Or perhaps you have a practice that you have left abandoned on dusty old shelves?
Whatever it may be, I encourage you to try, because if you never try, you’ll never know.
Be well,
L
If you’re ready to cultivate unshakeable self-worth, transform your mindset, and step into your healing journey feeling empowered, then I’ve got something right up your alley…
Introducing: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MASTERING YOUR MINDSET 🚀
Unleash your potential, take control of your health and wellness, and unlock the secrets to a powerful mindset that propels your towards your goals, crushes self-doubt, and turns obstacles into opportunities. This comprehensive guide is a road map to a more confident, focused, and empowered YOU!
Inside You’ll Discover:
✅ HOW to BREAK FREE from LIMITING BELIEFS
✅ HOW to Cultivate a Positive & Resilient Mindset
✅ The Mindset for to SETTING GOALS and ACHIEVING THEM 🏆
✅ HOW to Keep GOING Even When the Going Gets Tough
✅ The Secret Mindset Shift for Creating BIG CHANGE 🌱
✅ A Daily Habit Tracker to Get You UNSTUCK, and On Your Way to CHANGE
