Using Photography as A Therapeutic Tool

Art therapy idea: exploring religious trauma while focusing on your spiritual wounds. Reflect on your journey of healing through photography, poetry, clay work, or by writing a short story. Create something that holds meaning while considering it a form of deconstruction.

Photography is a medium of creative expression that can be used to create a trauma narrative while promoting agency and autonomy. This form of creative expression has the power to help us to begin processing what has happened to us in a different way than verbal processing can. While it can connect us to past experiences/memories that were disturbing, this embodied process can help us to connect with those experiences somatically. Trauma is stored in our bodies. It can show up as sensations, tension, and physiological patterns. Research shows that those who have experienced trauma often disconnect from feelings in their body. This is a known survival response or stress response.

You may be familiar with “fight”, “flight”, “freeze” and “fawn”. This is exactly what happens when we face stress inducing situations. Our nervous system becomes dysregulated, and we can live in that heightened space for a long time, causing a disconnect from our body and mind. Although you may now be in a safe place, your body still holds tension and may react as if danger is present.

Disconnection can show up in different ways, such as struggling to identify emotions, experiencing a sensation of “floating” above your body, or lacking awareness of hunger cues. It can also manifest as chronic pain, tension, or numbness. Through embodied processing, you can being to rebuild the mind body connection and integrate experiences, emotions, and sensations. This process can help to regulate your nervous system, and release stored trauma in a safe and controlled way. It is important to process these experiences and memories with a trained professional that can help support you in an environment that is safe for healing.

Suggested themes to explore: shame, self compassion, empowerment, autonomy, loss, disconnection, acceptance, authenticity