Making my own medicine: the practice of radical acceptance
Making my own medicine: the practice of radical acceptance
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Issue Date
2015
Authors
Nathan, Nina
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Abstract
I was never anything close to a "Sunday child" and my mere existence has created within me a sense of having a "duty" to heal, I feel that is one of the main purposes of my life and is a pivotal part of my experience in the Transformative Arts program.
I don't make art because I simply like to make art; I make art because my whole being needs to make art in order to become whole. Art is my language, it is how I express who I am. Art is the medicine I make for myself to survive.
I use art to create my own medicine—as a kind of exorcism. Making art is my way to fearlessly mine down deep into both my consciousness and my subconscious and heal what doesn't serve me.
Many ghosts reside in both these places—Ghosts created through severe childhood abuse. Some of them are called "You are worthless," "You are unlovable" and "You are the reason for everything bad."
I use transformative art making to shine light on these ghosts, to help minimize the fear these memories have carved into the concepts of who I am, what I am worth and why I am here. It is the healing I am after, the outing of shame and terror, the garnering of courage enough to look at the pain and taking clarifying action that removes these ghosts through my art making process.
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Transformative arts