Inner maps

Abstract

Inner Maps is an examination of the impact that early childhood trauma can have on an individual's body and mind, while also exploring what role art can play in healing oneself. While much of the physical work and writing is rooted in autobiographical experiences, it is important to note that these systems, beliefs, and traumas are not an isolated experience that belong to me alone. They are universally shared and hidden. Throughout this paper I explore various traumas such as being a child of addiction, body stored trauma, generational trauma, and lastly the mother wound. Through the process of visual art, one can make the personal public by bringing awareness to their individual experiences. Various mediums can be used, as they all carry their own weight, comfort, and storytelling abilities. Clay, fibers, and illustration have been crucial for my own processing. By acknowledging past and current pain, one can create further awareness's of personal behaviors. In doing so, we can have broader conversations around healing and hope. I acknowledge that criticisms and misunderstandings of one's experiences are bound to happen and that not everyone is called to share in such a manner. However, for me, art has been an outlet and a tool to examine these topics, leading me to conclude that art can be used as a powerful tool to process and release body stored trauma.