When Art Can Heal
“Art is a wound turned into light” ~ Georges Braque
It is of universal understanding that art holds a very important position in our existence. But it is also quite confusing to put in words, what it truly is for.
Last month, on the 30th of July, as we observed “World Day Against Trafficking in Persons," we at ArtsPositive reached out to two individuals who have dedicated their lives in working towards destroying this horrid societal evil, human trafficking. Both of them through their organisations use art and its therapeutic nature to help the survivors, heal. After talking to them we realised how important a vehicle art is to recover lost hope and gain a sense of communion.
In the form of artistic expressions, art therapy not only helps to bring out traumatic experiences and emotions that are otherwise extremely difficult to express but it also helps the survivors to process and cope with such experiences in a non-threatening manner. And above all, the process of art-making itself serves as a positive, healing experience and reshapes the brain to start experiencing joy, again.
Mike Nowlin is the Executive Director of Hagar USA, which provides a holistic array of services in Central and South-East Asia to help survivors of human trafficking to heal, thrive and grow. Hagar provides them with counselling, case management, legal support, health care, economic empowerment, education, and safe accommodation.
Talking about how survivors respond to art therapy, Mike says, “Most survivors are open to express their feelings through art after a trusting relationship has been formed with their therapist. At Hagar, we have seen even the most closed off individuals begin to open up via guided art therapy”.
Hagar also has an international office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They predominantly use art as a mode of therapy, but Hagar Vietnam team also regularly holds art exhibits featuring artworks created by survivors to promote awareness about human trafficking, gender-based violence and abuse.
Mike’s personal outlook on people and life has had quite a few crucial changes since he started working with Hagar. “I have a deeper appreciation for the human capacity to heal and thrive, even after awful abuse and exploitation.”
While Mike hope to continue his work to create deeper positive impact in the lives of the survivors, we found Atira Tan, who is a creative arts therapist, a trauma specialist and a somatic experience practitioner, a yoga teacher and the CEO and Founder of Art to Healing, an Australian Humanitarian charity organisation.
As an artist, role of art has a great significance in Atira’s life. “Art is really the language of the heart," she says. Her journey started off a little differently than Mike’s. “Before I met the survivors, I didn’t even know that human trafficking existed, and now I have dedicated my life to the recovery of trafficking survivors for the past 15 years.”
Her organisation’s vision is to create a compassionate, just and free world from sex slavery. A world where young girls and women who have been sold into slavery can be empowered and free to make choices about their future, and transforming their lives that can only be possible by healing their trauma.
Looking back at “World Day Against Trafficking in Persons” Atira says, “It is unimaginable that slavery still exists in the 21st century. I think we need to be more aware and need to rise up and take more action in the world against human trafficking and child sex slavery. So, I would really encourage people, to either donate or to actively support this cause. And to the survivors I say that there is a possibility for you to heal your wounds to live a life, which is empowered and fearless”.
Writer Isha Bhattacharya for ArtsPositive
