This presentation will put forward my Lived Experience of using creative writing to help explore the narrative around surviving childhood trauma and subsequent Dissociative Identity Disorder. Stream of conscious poetry and art have been imperative to me throughout my survival of child abuse. I will speak to the concept of counternarrative – that is a tool that originates in critical race theory that aims to amplify the voices of the minority against oppressive dominate narratives. Childhood trauma survivors are often silenced when they share their experiences, their voices too regularly dismissed. This can repeat the damaging silencing that occurred during childhood abuse and is ultimately retraumatising. Through sharing poetry and personal reflections, I hope that people will feel more confident in seeing and using storytelling and creativity as powerful knowledge. It is my aim that this will be a space to explore utilising creative writing to empower. I hope that by sharing my own writing and art processes it may invite people to feel empowered to use creativity to process their own experiences. Creativity can be a powerful reflective practice, and allow us to resist power imbalances. This is true both for workers within the system and consumers. Creativity can be a way to regain power over distressing experiences, and to speak truths that were previously dismissed, or caused punishment. Creativity is available to every person – everyone is a creative. No academic experience is required in sharing our collective humanity through the arts. It is for everyone. Stories are powerful change agents, both internally and collectively and can be explored both through the written word and other creative arts pursuits. This presentation will also speak to the process of creating a Lived Experience creative zine aiming to honour expressions that are often oppressed. 

In this session we will explore how therapeutic storytelling can provide a space to empower children’s voices. You will learn about Bella’s Story- a co-authored narrative created in a therapeutic space by a young person, Makeysha, and her counsellor Skye. Bella’s Story has been published by the Australian Childhood Foundation. 

Through this story Makeysha voices a powerful message:

“Now Bella can tell the whole world her story. Then she can get more help and people will understand her. Bella thinks that this story will help other children to tell their story… Maybe it will make them not so scared to tell their story.”

Imaginary storytelling does not just provide a space for self-discovery, but also becomes a resource for children and young people who have experienced trauma to talk about their experiences, hopes and needs in a way that feels safe, empowering and authentic to them.

Stories make up the tapestry of our worlds; we seek to understand the world through story, and we create new possibilities through story. Imaginary storytelling, rich in metaphor and symbolism, provides a particularly powerful space for personal and social exploration; it enables us to remove ourselves from the often-harsh restraints of a confronting reality and reflect from a distance. Through metaphor we are able to connect to experiences, challenges and sides of ourselves that may have been pushed from consciousness.

When children speak up, we must listen and listen deeply. In just the same way that creative storytelling creates spaces for children to explore new ways to use their voice, it also provides opportunities for adults to find fresh ways to listen to their voices and create spaces where child/adult power dynamics can be dissolved, and children can tell their own stories in their own way.

Silenced by trauma, this is a story of the voice of a child emerging through the written word, dance and visual art. It draws from the lived experience of vulnerability, violence, fight-and-flight and artistic expression. It is this creative expression that gave a portion of relief and fostered resilience.

Delve into the mind of an adult with lived experience of childhood trauma who found her voice through art. Treat yourself to a presentation akin to a virtual exhibition, as Jill shares her stories and expressions of inner turmoil through her visual art. This personal and vulnerable story is one you can grab and take with you—a tangible dive into the life of a family steeped in intergenerational trauma, where family and domestic violence were the norm.

 

It starts on the picturesque coastline of South Coogee in NSW, where Jill’s ancestors carved a tear shaped ocean pool into the rock-bed at the bottom of the cliff top where her father was raised, in a pre-fabricated  house. This very land now holds the iconic ‘Coogee Castle’ and the pool her family excavated by hand is now known as The Ivo Rowe Rockpool. Pretty on a external glance, with much to be hidden within; just like Jill’s art.

 

This presentation is an example of how art, and the meaning we make of it, can be transformative, and facilitate a steadily paced healing and recovery. Creative expression also has the power to reconstruct narrative and move an individual from a frozen state to movement. By physically expressing emotions as they arise—brushstroke-by-brushstroke; colour-by-colour; dive-by-dive—a freshness of perspective often emerges, and emotions stuck in story and the past can be released and find voice.

 

Artistic expression through various forms—visual arts, music, dance, writing, and performance—provides a non-verbal path for children and adults who have experienced childhood trauma, to communicate complex emotions. This is especially beneficial for those who find traditional communication inadequate for conveying, understanding and articulating their emotions. Through art, these complex emotions can be expressed through colour, dance, story and  performance without ever having to name them. And yet they are named, embedded deep within the art for viewers to either see or not see. But the creator—the survivor—the child—sees, perhaps for the first time, in the real-time act of creative expression itself. 
 
Works of art birthed by trauma can offer a new perspective, revealing beauty from chaos; a rebuilding from destruction, growth from parched landscapes and hope for the future. Rivers of creativity can nourish the inner needs of the child that longs for expression, but feels stuck in silence and fear, oftentimes well into adulthood. With art, the creator can both hide and express their feelings concurrently! They can create a work of art to keep and ponder on, revealing mysteries and creative transformation.

 

This presentation highlights the unique role of art for children trapped in situations of family and domestic violence, especially those who cannot verbally express their distress. Through creative expression, these children may find a silent but powerful outlet to communicate their inner struggles. This is particularly important for neurodivergent children, who often mask their trauma effectively, making it difficult for teachers, caregivers, and others to recognise signs of abuse. Providing these children with artistic tools gives them a vital means to express themselves, offering hope that their experiences can be acknowledged, even when words are out of reach.

 

Ultimately, this presentation underscores the need to ensure every child and adult has access to creative tools that allow for safe self-expression, encouraging a path to healing and resilience.