The Journey In

When I first began writing my memoir about infant surgery a little less than ten years ago, I committed myself to this project because I felt emotionally unfinished about my surgery. There was more to learn and grow from, and I had to do it no matter how scared I was–and believe me, I was. [...]

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Bell Pepper with Scar

I am not sure why I want to share my pastel “Bell Pepper with Scar” on my first post of 2012. I wanted something visual for sure as I have not posted an image for months. But it also has to do with the oddness of the picture–a scar on a bell pepper!  A strange [...]

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The Mystery of the Missing Information

I feel my heart rate increasing, like a detective getting closer to the whereabouts of the culprit—the current way in which the chemistry of my brain works due to the trauma of infant surgery without anesthesia. I just read a paper entitled, “Working with the Neurobiological Legacy of Early Trauma” by Dr. Janina Fisher, a [...]

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Images of Healing Art Show, 2011

Come one, come all to the Upstairs Art Gallery, 420 Main Street in Placerville, California. I’ve got two pastels hanging in the show for several weeks. Here are photos of the pieces and the words of the narratives that accompany each picture. Title:       Healing Tree               [...]

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The Divine Self: Believing What Is

When I graduated from college, my cousin sent me a doll in the mail. Without knowing why, I immediately took the scissors and magic markers to it. I snipped off the white yarn hair and drew a recored of my abuses onto its body. My eyes are black tear drops, my jaw is aflame from [...]

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Two Images: Trauma Interruptus

“Haunted Shrimp Baby” and “Moth Baby” are two pictures that I drew with colored pencils and black magic marker back in 1999, trying to come to terms with my infant surgery. At the time, I was not aware that I hadn’t been given anesthesia for the operation. As I uploaded these pictures, I was scowling. [...]

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On my Head

Here are two drawings I made when I was coping with Post-traumatic stress in the mid 1970s. I chose them because they convey some of what I’m feeling these days. Lying in bed at night, awaiting sleep, I am discovering an old breath pattern in which I hold my head and face rigid, especially my jaw. [...]

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“Trauma Therapy: Healing and Hope”

I just finished watching the series of TV Shows on the Freedomscalling.org website that I introduced in my last post. I REALLY enjoyed them and learned so much. What was especially affirming for me was the last segment entitled “Trauma Therapy: Healing and Hope.” Traumatologist Margaret Vasquez details the system of healing that she works [...]

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Magnolia blossom–the healing flower

While I am getting excellent care for my concussion from my chiropractor and my medical doctor, who is trained in craniosacral bodywork, I realized the other day that I needed to participate more directly in my healing. In drawing a magnolia flower and meditating on its image, I came to understand that I needed to [...]

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Our “Fourth Quadrant”

Two weeks ago, I attended a storytelling workshop, Retracing Our Steps (But I forgot the bread crumbs), given by Dr. Hetty Rodenburg, a medical doctor from New Zealand. Her own personal story was one of the most moving and inspirational stories that she shared that day. Years ago, she had signed up for a workshop [...]

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