Art and War

Here are two images from one of my past clients: when she first came to the U.S., it was as if she had to detox from all of the images of violence that lived inside of her. Both she and her sister made an entire series of images of the war in Iraq. Since that very beginning of treatment, however, neither girl has made any more of these pictures.

Parents rescuing their children

Permission to publish was granted by parents and child, 2009.

Missiles knocking fruit and leaves off the trees

Permission to publish was granted by parents and child, 2009.

This is unusual in my experience. Most children are so focused on growth and future that they don't chose to make images of the traumatic events they've experienced. This is developmentally appropriate. I don't believe in pushing a child to make such images: I think it can re-traumatize children who are not ready and resourced enough to handle such visceral re-experiencing of a traumatic event. They must chose to do so, or they are put again in a powerless and scary situation. It can also halt development that needs to happen and that could have happened even with the traumatic material repressed and stowed away for the time being. 

If a child is ready to make such images, he or she will do so. I could imagine a situation where a child or teen is already describing traumatic memories in graphic detail: then I may suggest making images, as the child is already moving in that direction. But again, only if the child seems resourced enough to handle going deeper into the material. This work is like surgery -- perhaps like removing a bullet or a tumor. The patient needs to be healthy enough to handle surgery and actually need to have the tumor or bullet removed.