FA+
Shop
Regarding C-PTSD and art as a means of coping and healing...
12 years ago
(I'm feeling very shy about posting this, so please bear with me here...)
I have always had a passion for arts and crafts, from the moment I could pick up a pencil, or work with play-dough at the age of two. I have also endured ongoing trauma throughout my life, starting in early childhood, which in turn led to several chronic illnesses, severe social anxiety, various phobias and C-PTSD (that's "Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder", for those who don't know), due to the years of trauma and abuse...and which has basically crippled my ability to work a normal job or lead a normal life. While growing up, art (along with my writing and poetry) was no longer just a passion or a hobby, but also my escape and salvation, bringing me peace of mind, body and soul amidst the chaos, abuse, stress and dysfunction. Where others might have turned to drugs, alcohol or other means of coping, my art--and the soul-healing it brought me, as well as the joy it brought to others whom I made gift art or did commissions for--was the one thing that kept me sane, and gave me the motivation I needed to survive against all odds...and eventually, even to thrive.
What I hope to accomplish via my art is not really to make money (it was always more "a labor of love" than any kind of reliable income source anyway), but rather to inspire and encourage people in general to see and appreciate the beauty and wonder in life, even in the smallest things, and also to attempt to bring joy, peace, healing and purpose to others like me who have suffered trauma. It is my way of "paying it forward", in order to do what I can to try to balance out some of the pain, sorrow, and darkness in the world (i.e. "to brighten the little corner where I am"). I believe if we suffer ongoing pain and hardship ourselves, then we are better equipped to understand and empathize with others in their pain, and to help them endure and overcome it too. We can transform pain into light, a light that spreads out like a ripple effect, affecting the world around it, and hopefully making the world a better place. As a wise lady I know put it: "We are brilliant despite or perhaps because of the trauma we have endured, and we can attempt to transform it, like alchemy, into something valuable to each of us."
The reason I'm posting all this is because I would like to know if anyone else out there has C-PTSD due to trauma (either current or past), and if so, has your art or other creative endeavours helped you to cope, find refuge and peace of mind, given you purpose and identity, and even helped you to heal and overcome? And if it has helped you in any way, would you be willing to tell the world about it, in order to help other victims of trauma, and encourage them to find solace in art and creativity, rather than seek an unhealthy outlet from which there may be only a downward spiral, with no return...and also to spread awareness to the general public about C-PTSD and how severely it can impact your life? If so, please contact me, because there is a new gallery specifically for artists, craftspeople and "creatives" of all kinds who suffer from C-PTSD, and they are seeking new members to showcase their works, in order to help and encourage other victims, and to teach the public. (This isn't a furry gallery, btw, but a general one, for the general public.)
The wonderful lady who has started this project (the same lady I quoted above) does amazing glasswork, and has her art displayed in various RL galleries and also a museum, and she feels that the world should see and learn from our works too. So if you're genuinely interested in being a part of this, and want to help try to make a difference, please comment here or note me, and I'll note you back with further info. :) And as for me, I still have a long way to go before I'm healed from my own trauma--if ever--and the physical issues will never go way, but I can at least say that I have already come far along the path of healing (thanks to the enduring patience, love and support of my hubby and friends, who've always encouraged me to keep doing art, even when I couldn't bring myself to draw at all, and wanted to give it up), to the point where I can now try to help others heal...And I truly believe that's what life (and the gift of art) is all about, for as they say, "We can't help everyone, but one life saved at a time is all it takes to make a difference". :)
~SD
P.S. For further info about C-PSTD and trauma-related disorders, the type of people (and actions) that cause it, and all the ways it can affect you, please see the links in the description here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6993227/
I have always had a passion for arts and crafts, from the moment I could pick up a pencil, or work with play-dough at the age of two. I have also endured ongoing trauma throughout my life, starting in early childhood, which in turn led to several chronic illnesses, severe social anxiety, various phobias and C-PTSD (that's "Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder", for those who don't know), due to the years of trauma and abuse...and which has basically crippled my ability to work a normal job or lead a normal life. While growing up, art (along with my writing and poetry) was no longer just a passion or a hobby, but also my escape and salvation, bringing me peace of mind, body and soul amidst the chaos, abuse, stress and dysfunction. Where others might have turned to drugs, alcohol or other means of coping, my art--and the soul-healing it brought me, as well as the joy it brought to others whom I made gift art or did commissions for--was the one thing that kept me sane, and gave me the motivation I needed to survive against all odds...and eventually, even to thrive.
What I hope to accomplish via my art is not really to make money (it was always more "a labor of love" than any kind of reliable income source anyway), but rather to inspire and encourage people in general to see and appreciate the beauty and wonder in life, even in the smallest things, and also to attempt to bring joy, peace, healing and purpose to others like me who have suffered trauma. It is my way of "paying it forward", in order to do what I can to try to balance out some of the pain, sorrow, and darkness in the world (i.e. "to brighten the little corner where I am"). I believe if we suffer ongoing pain and hardship ourselves, then we are better equipped to understand and empathize with others in their pain, and to help them endure and overcome it too. We can transform pain into light, a light that spreads out like a ripple effect, affecting the world around it, and hopefully making the world a better place. As a wise lady I know put it: "We are brilliant despite or perhaps because of the trauma we have endured, and we can attempt to transform it, like alchemy, into something valuable to each of us."
The reason I'm posting all this is because I would like to know if anyone else out there has C-PTSD due to trauma (either current or past), and if so, has your art or other creative endeavours helped you to cope, find refuge and peace of mind, given you purpose and identity, and even helped you to heal and overcome? And if it has helped you in any way, would you be willing to tell the world about it, in order to help other victims of trauma, and encourage them to find solace in art and creativity, rather than seek an unhealthy outlet from which there may be only a downward spiral, with no return...and also to spread awareness to the general public about C-PTSD and how severely it can impact your life? If so, please contact me, because there is a new gallery specifically for artists, craftspeople and "creatives" of all kinds who suffer from C-PTSD, and they are seeking new members to showcase their works, in order to help and encourage other victims, and to teach the public. (This isn't a furry gallery, btw, but a general one, for the general public.)
The wonderful lady who has started this project (the same lady I quoted above) does amazing glasswork, and has her art displayed in various RL galleries and also a museum, and she feels that the world should see and learn from our works too. So if you're genuinely interested in being a part of this, and want to help try to make a difference, please comment here or note me, and I'll note you back with further info. :) And as for me, I still have a long way to go before I'm healed from my own trauma--if ever--and the physical issues will never go way, but I can at least say that I have already come far along the path of healing (thanks to the enduring patience, love and support of my hubby and friends, who've always encouraged me to keep doing art, even when I couldn't bring myself to draw at all, and wanted to give it up), to the point where I can now try to help others heal...And I truly believe that's what life (and the gift of art) is all about, for as they say, "We can't help everyone, but one life saved at a time is all it takes to make a difference". :)
~SD
P.S. For further info about C-PSTD and trauma-related disorders, the type of people (and actions) that cause it, and all the ways it can affect you, please see the links in the description here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6993227/
It's also good that you found a positive way to mitigate your C-PTSD.
Not only through art, but also with cabincon, bowlingmeets, waffle nights, furcons and dealer's den at Desucon.
Even though it's tough for you, I always feel you're winning small but important battles.
Personally I have a much milder form. It's partly based on whom I am (think deep water fish) and how it happened (only at school).
But it has shaped me and there are after-effects I'm still sorting out. Though I have to confess, Tora is great at helping me there :)
How I've coped with it:
- There are some people I consider my support. People I can go to depending on the situation, as we're never supposed to be superheroes.
- A very unique personality. There's always been this something inside of me that's like an unbreakable diamond, or more cynical... a really really stubborn side of me :p
- No matter what outcome, I've never regretted it. I've done mistakes. I've had bad luck. However I've never regretted it.
I was a bully victim because I stood up against the wrong person on my first school day (and got a fist to the face), but I never regretted it.
Daring to confront obstacles is my way of life, and it's granted me too much to be worth giving up on.
Getting to know you and Sayh are one of my small victories in life :)
I'm not diagnosed with that necessarily but i have other things going on
And art has always exactly been my therapy and it would be amazing to
share what it's done for me. I love the spirit behind this project anc im super
glaf it exists, and it woukd be awesome to support in some way!
Something that shows up in PTSD research a lot is that all patients have decreased hippocampus volume - the last time I read up on this, it wasn't established whether they went into those experience with decreased volume, but since it's established that initial harm makes someone much more likely to get PTSD I'd assume so. Cortisol release in stress can harm all areas of the neocortex but is particularly damaging to the hippocampus, which hacks memory but also spatial relationships -- for instance, one of the groups with significant growth in that area are London cabbies, who have to negotiate a lot of the city through memory. Thus, I feel that working with spatial relationships has quite literally improved my emotional/psychological health.
http://ygoy.com/2011/04/30/ptsd-pat.....rter-telomere/
http://www.medicaldaily.com/chillin.....in-size-243328
http://abusesanctuary.blogspot.no/2.....sponse-to.html
http://www.bullyonline.org/stress/health.htm
http://casapalmera.com/the-link-bet.....rs-and-trauma/
http://ygoy.com/2011/01/19/traumati.....thood-obesity/
http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/n.....myalgia-linked
http://ordinaryevil.wordpress.com/2.....uma-and-abuse/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/rel.....ses/225578.php
http://chronicfatigue.about.com/b/2.....lationship.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/.....?dopt=Abstract
Something I've been thinking about actually is neurochemical precursors to PTSD. Recent work shows that susceptible people have had their DNA methylated, frequently in utero. I know that cortisol release is related to nutrient uptake and starvation stress and I'd suggest there's a complex of food/starvation related biochemistry - stuff which relates to diabetes, adipose build up, the endocrinology behind PCOS, a lot of seemingly different areas. One of the studies I've found turned up PTSD more likely to show up in the children of female rather than male Holocaust survivors, and that sort of makes sense - women will have more fat deposits to soak some of what I think are the long-chain sterols associated with all of this. I'm pretty certain my problems started with my mother's biochemistry, and just got worse, and worse.
Anyway, what brings this all up is that I think by doing art - by hacking spatial stuff - it's working on the PTSD at a biochemical level as well as an emotional one (and the biochemistry tied up in the emotional response).
As for art-therapy...kinda. It doesn't always work, as I'm a bit too perfectionist and self-critical for the whole therapy-ness of it to be all that effective. It DOES keep me sane, though (sometimes. Sometimes it frustrates me and I put it aside for a while) But my characters and stories and stuff have probably kept me away from the more detrimental coping mechanisms (except over-eating. I am guilty of that).