What is wrong with me? Will I ever feel okay again? How do other survivors cope minute by minute? What are they feeling and thinking? How do they heal? These are all questions I asked in the darkest phases of healing from sexual violation. I was overwhelmed by the confusing constellation of symptoms taking over my emotions, mind, and body. The answers I found in books and therapies seemed incomplete. I began to sense the void created by the silencing of victims. It is into this void that I step, seeking to encourage more openness and dialogue about the day-to-day, gut-wrenching effects of sexual trauma as well as the many ways to approach deep healing.
The Art of Healing from Sexual Trauma: Tending Body & Soul through Creativity, Nature, and Intuition offers hope, comfort, and practical ideas to survivors who may be struggling to understand and heal the damage from sexual violation. In the book, I open myself, my journals, and my art & photography portfolios to reveal the impact of childhood and adulthood sexual violations. I describe which self-care techniques and therapies are helping me heal these wounds. Many of these practices incorporate natural elements as well as art-focused, body-oriented, and mindfulness approaches. Most importantly, I share how I learned to trust that I hold the wisdom within myself to find my way toward greater health and peace. Through the course of this book, readers will learn that they, too, possess powerful self-knowledge.