Painting/drawing your childhood trauma

[PTSDisaster]

I need to do this for my next therapy session and I was wondering, did any of you make a painting about your trauma?
I think I've read about it in the body keeps the score.

:)

 

[Friday]

Spoiler: No childhood trauma, so my answer may be irrelevant

Yep.
And (probably because) as I think in pictures, rather than words? It was infinitely easier than trying to find the words, profoundly more difficult in every other aspect (mentally, emotionally, symptom spikes, etc.), as well as exponentially more effective in processing.

Strangely enough, I’d been sculpting moments before & after some of my worst traumas for yeeeeeears, never making the connection. They were “just” precious moments to me. Those came along with the whole synergistic/cathartic thing.

But doing a visual trauma diary? <low whistle> Not that. At all. It was shocking at how different the -everything- was, about it.

 

[Teamwork]

I’m working on one. Not assigned by anyone but I was familiar that people do this. What happened was I was rearranging books in my living room one day and came across a couple of adult coloring books. I always lacked interest in sitting there coloring them so was trying to figure out if I was going to keep them or declutter them and get rid of them. As I flipped through this one book a picture caught my eye and I was like, wow, that looks like my inner world. So I started to thumb through for other pictures with the idea of doing a collage. I used a canvas, that was long not square and cut and pasted my own picture. It’s quite the picture! As I color it there is a lot of inner reflection going on. One of the pictures has two rams who have locked horns-this is the center of my picture because my past and present get jammed up like that-these animals are staring each other down, kinda saying, whose going to win? or let go? There are trees, flowers, birds, forest creatures, which are totally me. A nature connection that I seek as I heal or get space. There is a bridge and a lock with a key. I liked the lock and key when I saw it because I said, yes, I have secrets things still locked up. The bridge represents the border. I border crossed as a kid and it involved a bridge and a whole different life. Anyway, this collage was all drawn out for me in the coloring books, I cut , pasted and formed it to represent my story. I can paint and draw, but this is a beautiful personal picture that takes a lot of time to color-probably why I avoided the book. This way I pick it up here and there and as I color I listen to what is going on inside me. The picture itself means nothing to an onlooker so in many ways it stays private.

 

[Tinyflame]

I have this book that was sort of given to me, 40 days to Healing, it has exercises like that and a picture to keep adding to (you make the picture). I've never been able to get past 20 or 28 days and threw out the picture when I threw out everything of my own I might have to carry. But I still have the book. 40 days sounds like such a monstrosity to me but of course it's only 1 day at a time. And though it's only 1-2 pages/ day plus 'homework' sometimes that is much.

I agree with the others though, and think it might be very useful. Come to think of it I painted a lot after what occurred when I was young. It also it felt like I was giving up on myself or any idea of healing/ value in myself when I threw them all my painting supplies out. And it felt like giving up on myself and relationships when I threw my art supplies and keepsakes out.

(I kind of laugh to myself because whereas people like big gifts my longing would be the painting supplies again, though they don't come cheap. And the time and peace to do it.)

So yes I think it may be very helpful and like @Teamwork said can be private.