Difficult Childhood and Creativity
We are wounded in relationship - and we heal in relationship.
“The pains and wounds of our past always influence our present life. It is essential to recognize these influences and allow ourselves to heal.”
– Bert Hellinger
Connection
As a trauma-informed, relational art and phototherapist, I am deeply committed to supporting adults who, as children, did not receive the love, safety, and acceptance they needed - so they can create a life of fulfillment and meaning as adults.
We cannot rewrite the past, but together we can understand it, grieve it, and come to accept it, so that it no longer directs your present life.
The Nature of Relational Trauma
Many people carry childhood wounds, even if they don’t call them trauma - it may feel too strong a word. You might tell yourself you have no right to complain: there was a roof over your head, food on the table, and you may think, “Others had it so much worse.”
Yet trauma takes many forms. Childhood trauma often appears later as an inner critic, self-blame, or self-punishing behavior.
Complex relational trauma always develops within relationships - it is, by nature, interpersonal. It occurs when a child experiences rejection, shame, or emotional neglect - often at the hands of someone they love and depend on. The pain cuts deeply precisely because the one causing it is often the very person we look up to - a parent.
The Nature of Relational Trauma
Many people carry childhood wounds, even if they don’t call them trauma - it may feel too strong a word. You might tell yourself you have no right to complain: there was a roof over your head, food on the table, and you may think, “Others had it so much worse.”
Yet trauma takes many forms. Childhood trauma often appears later as an inner critic, self-blame, or self-punishing behavior.
Complex relational trauma always develops within relationships - it is, by nature, interpersonal. It occurs when a child experiences rejection, shame, or emotional neglect - often at the hands of someone they love and depend on. The pain cuts deeply precisely because the one causing it is often the very person we look up to - a parent.
Every pain is valid.
Every pain deserves to be heard, released, and healed.
Signs of Childhood Trauma in Adulthood
Many of the people I work with already sense that their struggles are rooted in childhood — in early experiences of shame, rejection, or invisibility. Others come to therapy without seeing the link between past and present, yet they struggle with issues such as:
- Anxiety and depression
- Loneliness, isolation, or feeling like an outsider
- Fear of relationships or distrust toward others or oneself
- Self-soothing through food, alcohol, gambling, shopping, or self-harm
- Constant vigilance or tension — the feeling of never being safe
- Disconnection from one’s true self, desires, and needs
- Withdrawal from others or over-reliance on external validation
- Low self-esteem, feelings of unworthiness, self-blame, shame, or “not being enough”
- Outwardly everything seems fine, but inside something deeply hurts
- Persistent physical pain (stomach aches, headaches, etc.) without clear medical cause
Childhood trauma often arises in environments where caregivers are absent, abusive, narcissistic, overly critical, or struggling with addiction - frequently survivors of trauma themselves. In such conditions, the child becomes vulnerable: power imbalances form, dependency deepens, and there is neither real escape nor a safe haven.
When Images Help Us
See the Past in a New Light
Phototherapy uses photography and personal images to support healing from childhood trauma. It helps clients see and re-interpret their experiences, promoting emotional processing, strengthening self-esteem, and opening space for new, healing narratives.
Restoring a sense of agency
The process invites active participation - one becomes not just a witness but a co-creator of one’s own memories. This reduces the sense of helplessness that is often at the heart of trauma.
Relieving symptoms
Research shows that re-framing experiences through imagery can reduce intrusive thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks. Emotional intensity gradually eases, while sleep and daily functioning can improve.
Building inner resilience
Working with images allows us to see the past in a different light - not merely to survive it, but to grow through it. This nurtures confidence and adaptability.
The goal is not to erase pain - life will always remain unpredictable - but to change our relationship to it, responding with greater awareness and freedom of choice in each moment. It is possible to cultivate a deeper, more compassionate relationship with yourself - one in which the pain and shame of the past no longer sit in the driver’s seat.
ARTfo Studio donates 10% of its profits to civil organizations that support positive social change.
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