From Compassion Fatigue to Vitality: Memoir With Art Response for Self-Care

Abstract

The combination of an art therapist’s personal trauma with secondary traumatic stress can lead to compassion fatigue. Inspired by narrative art therapy methods, the author engaged in memoir writing, art responses, authentic movement, and public exhibition. This creative life review identified ways in which her nervous system responses to clients’ traumas became tangled with personal implicit memories from childhood trauma and attachment injuries. The creative process identified overburdened and untended personal life-stage initiations (e.g., entering midlife), which emerged as 2 insights: pain numbing to cope with juvenile arthritis and restricted early attachment. This awareness led to a better understanding of fight–flight–freeze responses and improved relationships with clients and others.