Unwanted sexual contact, rape and other forms of sexual abuse impact so many people, including artists.
People often help deal with the emotional and psychological aftermath of trauma through creative expression – perhaps using formal art therapy, but more often some other form of creative self-expression.
One of many articles on the topic (posted on Psych Central) is Brain Changes from Child Abuse Tied to Adult Mental Illness, Sexual Problems by Rick Nauert PhD.
He reports:
“Different types of childhood abuse can increase the risk of mental illness as well as sexual dysfunction, experts say, but the biological mechanism by which this occurs has been unknown.
“New research may provide an answer with the discovery that sexually abused and emotionally mistreated children exhibit specific and differential changes in the architecture of their brain.”
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There are many references and articles on “healing” from sexual abuse and other kinds of trauma, but it is important to keep in mind the emotional and spiritual impacts may endure, at least to some degree.
Dealing with abuse is not like healing a broken bone.
But experiencing abuse of any kind also does not make us “damaged goods” – see comments by actor Teri Hatcher below.
The painting is a self portrait by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653).
An article notes she was raped by an art tutor of hers, followed by a “highly publicised” seven-month trial.
This event makes up the central theme of a controversial French film, Artemisia (1998), directed by Agnes Merlet.
“The trauma of the rape and trial impacted on Artemisia’s painting. Her graphic depictions were cathartic and symbolic attempts to deal with the physical and psychic pain.
“The heroines of her art, especially Judith, are powerful women exacting revenge on such male evildoers as the Assyrian general Holofernes.”
From profile site: The Life and Art of Artemisia Gentileschi.
Another article notes “Her depiction of traditional stories of rape and vengeance — but from the viewpoint of a woman – marked a breakthrough in the history of art.”
From Artemisia Gentileschi in the Movies by Mary Garrard and Gloria Steinem – an evaluation of the problems with the movie Artemisia, plus links to sites on Artemisia, and on women artists active before 1900.
Book: Artemisia Gentileschi by Mary Garrard.
In her historical novel The Passion of Artemisia author Susan Vreeland quotes Artemisia, in a powerful statement that could apply to many creators:
“An artist’s feeling is the white-hot core of painting…
“You’ve got to use your own emotions and paint with your own blood if need be in order to discover and prove the truth of your vision.”
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One writer that especially inspired me to address this topic again is Lisa Sonora Beam, who wrote in her article This V-Day I Am Rising. Will You? (Feb. 2013), about her own experiences, and the organization One Billion Rising – “a revolutionary campaign to end violence against women and girls.”
[Also in Beam’s article are videos by Jane Fonda, Gabrielle Senza, Anoushka Shankar and others.]
Beam writes:
“Today, one of every three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime…
“When I was in college I was attacked in my dorm room and almost raped and killed in a gang initiation…the university forbid me to discuss the ‘incident’, and threatened to take away my scholarship and kick me out of school if I told anyone. I was offered no counseling, no compassion. …
“The worst things that happened to me happened in my own family. For the first twelve years of my life, I was sexually abused by a family member. I told no one, not even the therapists I started seeing as a teen, not even after I became a therapist myself. I couldn’t speak about the unspeakable.”
She goes on to describe how she has used creative work, especially “the process that saved my life”: Dreaming On Paper: The Creative Sketchbook.
“Dreaming On Paper helps you excavate your own true desires, innate wisdom, and intuition, with ease, gentleness and joy. I will show you how to create without fear of the blank page, learning how to play and make a happy mess without fear of doing it wrong or not doing it perfectly.”
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Resources
Site: NO MORE – “designed to galvanize greater awareness and action to end domestic violence and sexual assault.”
TIME’S UP site “is a unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere. From movie sets to farm fields to boardrooms alike, we envision nationwide leadership that reflects the world in which we live.”
Related article: Hollywood Women Team Up to Fight Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination, Shape mag., Jam 2, 2018.
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Here are a few articles of mine, with additional books and resources:
Traumatic Childhood, Creative Adult – Creative expression can transform our painful reactions to traumatic situations, providing renewed strength of our identity and a way to give voice to difficult feelings.
Healing and Creativity: SARK and Others – includes quotes by artists Roxanne Chinook, Niki de St. Phalle and actor Teri Hatcher – who revealed in 2006 that as a child she was sexually abused by an uncle, and said in an interview, “I don’t think you have to be molested to be in pain as a woman, to feel like you don’t deserve good things… we are all women who don’t treat ourselves well enough. Women walk around feeling like everything is their fault.”
“I don’t want to pretend it never happened anymore… I’m really a survivor, but I’ve learned so much, given so much, and received so much out of it all that I don’t think I’m damaged goods. I think I’m a deeply sensitive, knowing, beautiful woman.”
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Creative People, Trauma and Mental Health. This long article has numerous quotes by artists and psychologists, plus resources including a trauma recovery radio program; articles; books, online information and self-help programs and more.
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3 Things To Learn From The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – A Gifted Trauma Survivor
By Lisa Erickson, MS, LMHC
“Lisbeth Salander is the fictional heroine of Steig Larsson’s trilogy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. As the heroine, Lisbeth Salander embodies certain characteristics of giftedness, and these characteristics help her survive terrible, long-term physical, sexual and emotional abuse.”
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Emotional Health Resources
Programs, books, articles and sites to improve your emotional wellbeing.
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Douglas Eby (M.A./Psychology) is author of the The Creative Mind series of sites which provide “Information and inspiration to help creative people thrive.”
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