The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

 

 We all have a relationship with trauma, some of you had to meet that old scoundrel at a young age, others a little bit later in life. Sure, maybe everything happens for a reason and maybe it is a reason for our personal, mental and spiritual growth but couldn’t there be an easier way?

 We all will deal with trauma differently and there are many ways to cope and one of the most magical ways to do so is through art. Making art in any form is a way of helping deal with trauma, it’s a way of dealing with life really.

 In an article on the Daily Star [ online] titled Art Therapy: Healing Emotional Trauma Through Creativity by Ayman Anika. Anika speaks about the connection between the unconscious mind and art saying, “The link between unconsciousness and art is a fascinating one and art therapy can be very useful for patients suffering from severe mental health issues such as depression, dementia, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder”. If you would like to know more on the topic check out this post published on The Health Line.

 Art therapy is considered any creative process from dancing, to making music, photography, designing clothes or walls to creating documentaries, writing, painting, the sky is the limit. A lot of medical experts believe that art therapy is actually an effective tool in helping people deal with a range of problems from anxiety, depression, stress and PSTD.

So next time that scoundrel trauma knocks on your door to take you on a stroll down painful memory lane, take out a pen, canvas, a camera or hit the dance floor and let it all out.

Express your self

#speaktrauma