So many teens today use self-injury as a means of communicating their feelings of anger and of deep hurt, in a way that gets a caregiver’s attention. The meta communication (or the language beneath the communication) is a statement of “this is how I am hurting, mother/father” .. “this is how I feel”~ the violence and anger that a child would otherwise direct outward through name calling or acts of physical violence toward another, is directed toward the self, accompanied by thoughts/ feelings of “this is my fault that I feel this way,” “I am to blame” and “I am wrong for feeling how I feel.” “I must be punished”~ Before we judge a teen who has scars on their arms or on other tender body areas, let’s get curious as to the “why” around their hurting. What are the (unintentional/intentional) messages they are receiving at home around their value and their worth? Is there room For the expression of their anger and their hurt within the family system? Around their “wrongness of being and/or feeling” ? Are those hard feeling being validated? The expressive arts provide an outlet for a healthy communication around the wordless places of hurt, anger, and shame that so many teens (and adults!) experience today.
🎨 @toni_cara
mixed media
New York
Copyright Toni-Cara Stellitano, LCSW
#ExpressiveArts#HolisticHealthCare
#ArtTherapy#Cutting#SelfInjury#Hurt#TeenSuicide#FamilyTherapy#Depression #Anxiety#selfHarm#Art
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