We believe in the healing power of telling our stories. One of the most common manifestations of trauma is a tendency to dissociate. Dissociation can be putting things in boxes in the interests of getting things done and functioning on a day-to-day basis – it’s a skill! But taking time to check in with ourselves and reflect helps us process painful experiences and not only move on from them, but grow stronger because of them. Creating art through the pain will provide tangible mementos saying: this is how I got through that really terrible time in my life. Our goal in journaling and narrative isn’t to let it go and forget about it -- it’s to create something with it, to weave it into a broader story of who we are in this ever-changing world. There’s strength and wisdom in every box of garbage -- the will to create something will help you open the boxes, and get you up off the floor after you’ve done so. 

Click here to learn more about narrative therapy, and here to learn about a three-session adaptation of narrative exposure therapy for PTSD that can be practiced by non-mental health professionals. 

If you would like to submit artwork or writing (narrative, creative nonfiction or poetry on mental health/social justice themes) for the first issue of The Uncaged Quarterly Review, which we aim to publish in Fall 2023, please email drdykema@uncagedmindsdetroit.com.