Home » The Art of Healing: Creative Expressions by CSA Survivors
The Art of Healing: Creative Expressions by CSA Survivors
The works included in our Survivors’ Art Blog (below) were created by Child Sexual Abuse survivors. We thank them for their courage to speak out, and hope their art will help others know they are not alone. *Are you a CSA survivor? Submit your original work here.
“Creativity and imagination are the sweet spots for healing!”
~ Gita Vaid, MD, Co-Founder of the Center for Natural Intelligence
TRIGGER WARNING: Many of these pieces are about real CSA experiences and aftermath.
Some of the items shared can evoke strong feelings. Please keep this in mind when viewing.
Untitled 3 by JT
This is painted on copies of a page from my journal - seeing him again after 40 years brought back a lot of ugly details about what happened...
Moonshine by Rebecca Rojas
With so many thoughts running through my mind I'm a bit lost a bit confused a bit pained a bit sad for life gives you many challenges you fight battles no one knows about as hidden truth behind closed doors that really can take a toll on you and just...
The Journey by Danica Rivera
In the depths of the soul, where shadows dance,
Echoes of pain and whispers of chance.
There lies a journey, both dark and bright,
Where healing blooms from the depths of night.
Through winding paths of sorrow and strife,
Emerges the essence, the...
It’s OK to not be OK by Mike Chapman
This poem is from March 2024. I was attending a leaders retreat in Florida for the leadership of Husband Material (faith-based ministry to help men dealing with porn addiction and other sexual brokenness issues), men I all love and trust. However, I...
I Want to Tell You by Terri Lanahan
I want to tell you what happened to me.
I want to tell you about when I was three.
He said he wanted to play with me.
And oh how he played tricks on me.
He told me...
Happy Mother’s Day by Yvette Verini
I hope you are healing in heaven.
But now, as a mother myself, I understand that you were far from what a mother is meant to be.
Despite it all, I want to thank you for all the lessons you have taught me.
You taught me to be weak, but I learnt to...
Coloured mind. by Star jayne
Sorrow is blue just like my tears,
Emptiness is black Just like my fears.
The blood from my wrists is red,
It mirrors whats Inside my head
My innocence was pink,
Now PTSD haunts me when i blink.
Your eyes are like the clear blue sky,
I trusted...
Survivor by Genevieve Hope
Genevieve Hope. All rights reserved. Published by permission. About the Creator Genevieve Hope With my art, I hope to provide emotional and financial support to those affected by social injustice. Website – YouTube – Etsy – Amazon...
Nothing by M
Nothing Looking back at all the times you said I was a nothing and a nobody.I stand on the precipice of a job almost done, as well as I could. Despite many limitations.As proud as I am,for them I would beg, borrow and steal. I give them my all, my...
Untitled 4 by JT
She’s painted on pages from “A Doll’s House” – making a decision with total uncertainty but choosing to do something about what happened. JT. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
Magic man by Ollie
Magic man Mr. magic man has been doing magic since he was just a boy,I should know I was his assistant!He seems all wonderful you know,He could make things disappear,He could make coins fly out his mouth!Of course I didn’t know that being his...
to mother by Dawid Stefanski
to mother from the day i was bornyou gave me nothing but painbetrayal is your nameyou betrayed my love, my trust, my securitymother, because of you all i wanted was to dieand i died everydayi died when you touched me in an inappropiate wayinstead of...
The downfall of having a big heart by Rebecca Rojas
The downfall of having a big heart is the vulnerability of becoming easy prey and victimized of being used ur heart is being pulled in a tug of war of mixed emotions n confusion but no matter what or how difficult things become how overwhelmed...
I’ve got you, monkey by @phrenzog
@phrenzog. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
Surviving by Danica Rivera
Surviving In the darkness she brokeA million piecesBreath was no moreA light flickerGuides to peaceObscured by visions of the past Numb Flashes of the nightmaresMembers in mouthsPain belowScreams of innocence takenHollow words spoken in the nightHow...
The Maenads by Sarah Blakely
The Maenads You created a cult of us,disturbed little girls,ripened grapes for your wine. You picked us like fruit,receiving our bruises,exchanging worship at your shrine. You called us away from our homes,outcasted us in the wilderness,dressed and...
My Monster by Heather Chamakese
My Monster He was my monsterHe kept me scabbed up,He knew how to keep me in lineThe tactics that held me his forever-prisoner,The kind of monster you only hear about,He was the devil some days not only a monster,The days she thought she was in...
Sleepy Pup by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
Inner Demons (song lyrics) by Lisa Marie Carter
Spoken Intro) We all have our demons, screaming through our brain;yelling and telling us to come back home again…. V) Lost in a hell of my own makinga poisoning at my own hand. Can’t seem to gain steady footingmuch...
She Dreams by Terri Lanahan
Hi! I am an adult Survivor of CSA and this is one of my poems. Writing poetry was instrumental in my healing. She Dreams She dreams of a life without any tears.She dreams that someone will take away her fears.She prays that the abuse will end.She...
Untitled 2 by JT
She’s painted on the pages of “Girl Interrupted” and represents never wanting to talk about what happened. JT. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
There Is No Cure by Crash
There Is No Cure PTSD, MST, Bi-polar, Manic Depressive, Schizophrenia! How would you like to be diagnosed with all these, at different times in your life? How would your mind handle the changing of medication on a consistent basis, not...
A Woman Like Me by Yvette Dove
A Woman Like Me You don’t want to fall for a woman like me.I have scars marked so deep that you can not see.They are hidden away, buried beneath the skin,How would I show you? Where would I begin? Do I begin at the start? Back to...
A Father’s “Love” by Mike Chapman
TRIGGER WARNING: This poem is both graphic and descriptive of the abuse I experienced, but I have avoided vulgar language. First, let me give you some background… When I was 30 (I am in my late-50s now), I uncovered repressed memories of being...
Ugly Dress by Elizabeth Shane
Ugly Dress Pretty with flowers, liberating and freeLots of movement for the eye to seeA little girl’s dream to wear such a dress, but under the layers she cries in distressAll severed and torn, damaged and shaken for her childhood innocence has...
Follow Me. by Ollie
Follow me. I remember the flowers were budding that year,My 9th birthday had just passed in the third grade,A marvelous day.The sun was shining,My friends were laughing and I had met a new friend,I just love new people they always teach me something...
Gravel by Willow Moon
This is a poem I wrote that is about being sexually assaulted as a child and the shame that I felt. It’s a blend of emotions and past traumatic events. GravelByWillow Moon Forced down without a breath.Stunned.Frozen in time.Pain.Gravel imbedded...
Healing My Life from Incest to Joy by Donna Jenson
About the Book Healing My Life: from Incest to Joy is a deeply personal story that explores the sexual violence Jenson endured at the hands of her father, the refusal of her family to acknowledge her pain, and a rocky escape as a teenager from the...
Playful Dalmatian Puppy by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
Untitled by JT
She’s painted on pages from “”The Scarlet Letter” as challenge to the feeling of shame about what happened. JT. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
She Hears by Terri Lanahan
I grew up in a home where there was Domestic Violence and I write this poem. She Hears She hears the same sounds every night.She’s afraid of the dark and prays for the light.She’s alone and really scared.She wishes that somebody cared.She...
Untitled by David Carey
My father died when I was 14. Shortly afterward I was seeing my family doctor for anxiety. He sexually abused me, although my recollections didn’t surface for about 30 years. He would hypnotize me to not remember what happened in each session...
Recovering by Chris Kontopidis
Recovering is a short thriller about a young queer protagonist who shifts bodies, discovering loss and healing in the aftermath of long term traumatic events. The story is parable, in addition to being a literal thriller. There are...
My Hummingbird Sings by Nancy V Brown
I hear the sweet sound of joy radiating from the shimmer that’s at the tip of my wingsMy hummingbird is a beautiful reflection of the joy that he bringsOn my times of panic, I pressed on the power that lies deep withinAllowing the tests of times and...
Survivor Voices 2020 by Beth Seigling
The above collage was created based on the 2020 Survivor Voices writing series with Donna Jenson of Time to Tell, an organization that helps survivors of incest and sexual abuse to write and share their stories in a healing way...
Virtual Virtue (from “UNPLUGGED: A Survivor’s Story in Scenes & Songs”)
In the song “Virtual Virtue,” Dayna Clay describes her childhood rape — and her determination to survive it. Lyrics: I used to dream that you’d become the dad I never hadSomeone who’d look after me, come through when...
Graffiti on a Girl by Lisa Marie Carter
I tried to give them shelter, I invited them all inside. I sent out the invitations, “Come one, come all”; no pride. I never asked for rent, not once; a drink at most would do. I’d then hand them the keys to the kingdom, to do with...
I’m a museum embroiderer, along w some other work that I do, who has been living from one brain injury to another beginning at age 2
I am a museum embroiderer. The pictures that are shown are a small part of my gallery. How this talent came to me, I do not know. I just go with the flow. Whatever pops in my head comes out with my thread work. I am also still able to do other forms...
It Knows by Naomi
My body knows a pain within,it draws it out upon my skin. Upon my wrists I’m forced to see,how hard the ropes have pulled on me.The red marks on my knee they label,how pressure burns pressed on a table. Redness on my thighs submit,a full-grown...
Breathe by Gloryfied
Dandelion seeds and lavender.. Breathe in.. Breathe out.. You are moving.. You are healing.. You are working through this process we call recovery. Keep breathing. Keep moving…...
Little Hands by Anne D.
Skipping across the street.Little hands wrapped around mommy’s finger.Hurry, don’t be late.Quickly Cross the street. Little Hands clutch Mommy’s leg.Mommy is talking. I can’t see the ladies.The desk is too tall.I am too small...
All of Us by OneOutOf6
This is something I wrote for the members of my support group: This place is beautiful but also sad. We make useful of something oh so bad. We feel disrupted, corrupted, silenced and blamed, subjected to ridicule, violence and shame. We tell our...
Hate is a strong word by Ollie
There is a difference between hate and anger,Hate has a shorter reason,But always has the taste and is always stronger.Anger simmers deeper,It usually is formed by a secret,Isn’t that right? If I hated you,I would have your picture on my walls,I’d...
Be the Light by Gloryfied
SunflowersBe your child’s light, don’t let them grow up in darkness...
Broke but not Beat by OneOutOf6
Wanted to share this with you. . . I have been broken but I haven’t been beatI have spoken and I won’t admit defeat,faced my enemy and I faced my fearno matter what he did to me I’m still herehe took away my youth and he took away my...
Shadows of the Night by Mary Graziano
My friend George Robinson put together this song of my work. I met him at his Healing through Creativity festival in West Virginia which I have attended for about 4 years. My very close friend, artist Michal Madison allowed us to use her...
Voices Risen by Paula Evans Moysin
About the Creator I’m a wife, mother, and grandmother who has lived with the wounds of CSA my whole life. When I began therapy, writing was the only way I could express myself. Now it has become a solid part of my therapy, and sharing is part...
Hands Clean by Alanis Morissette
Remember this song? Alanis very clearly states in interviews that it was part of her healing from a relationship with an older man that she was “unprepared to deal with at the time” (She was 14.) Note the verse lyrics are very standard...
Child Me by Jennene Obremski
Goodbye child meyou were so very unluckytreated like a rag dollgrow up, stumble and fallI am grown up now, child mefinding my own happylost without your memoryyou will heal child meyou will find your inner strengththat love does exist at any...
Living in My Own Shadow by Mary Ann Reuter
Thank you Mary Ann for being brave and sharing your story. We hope through this difficult task of finally allowing yourself to be fully seen, you have found peace and healing; and we know that sharing your story will inspire and empower others to...
Cared For Child by Jennene Obremski
It wasn’t just the physical abuse and emotional neglectMy innocence was just another thing to collectSick adults creating sick childrenSick individuals harming their own brethrenThere is no justice for a stolen childhoodThere is only pain and...
Boxer Dog Ink Drawing by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
What Really Happens Behind Closed Doors by E Morrell
About the Book What really happens behind closed doors is based on the life experiences of Author, E Morrell. Morrell published the book to help others know that they are not alone and to encourage survivors to talk about their experiences with a...
Wherever I Wind Up by R.A. Dickey
Thank you, R.A. Dickey, for helping to #UndoTheTaboo and by bringing your message of healing and hope to the world. Every CSA survivor that speaks out and stops hiding makes it easier for others to do the same and begin their own healing process...
The Monster (Explicit) by Suze **Trigger Alert**
The drawings below were created by a woman we’ll call Suze, who used art as an adjunct to her therapy process. Suze experienced severe abuse as a child, including child sexual abuse and ritual abuse by a cult. She used a combination of art and...
Silent Screams by OneOutOf6
The world in which I existed left me warped and twisted, broken, and scared, words left unspoken cause it’s hard to cope with the past, alcohol wears off and the dope don’t last. I was that quiet child with tears in his eye, and fears in...
Boxer Dog Puppy Drawing by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
The Tale by Jennifer Fox
Thank you Jennifer Fox (and HBO). This is what survivors can do when they heal! This amazing movie is the true story of Jennifer Fox and her path with child sexual abuse, repression and recovery. The Tale offers audiences a compelling presentation...
The Forgotten Children by Mary Graziano
I wrote this poem back in 2014. As a survivor of child abuse, I wanted to reach out to others. My friend George Robinson put together this song of my work. I met him at his Healing through Creativity festival in West Virginia which I have attended...
Crumbling by Patty Croom
© Patty Croom, Patty Pixx Photography This photo is from my hometown. The school I attended for most of my elementary and Jr. High years. It was a safe haven for me. Home has so many meanings and this place was more of a home than where I...
Easy to Judge by OneOutOf6
*Rated: Adult Language What I wrote when a guy online said he was glad it happened to me: It’s easy to judge and hard to relate, i’m hard to love and so easy to hate, hard to defend easy to be attacked I’m too busy to defending to...
Amends to Self by Debra
This piece came about during a 9th step (amends) process in recovery. My sponsor said that before anyone else, I needed to make an amends to myself, noting any way in which I had harmed myself physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. The abuse was...
Holy Island by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
Rainbow by Jennene Obremski
I was raped when I was 15 and 4 months later he raped me again causing a miscarriage of my unknown pregnancy by him. This poem is about the loss of my baby and innocence. Send me back my rainbowThat you killed so long agoI’ve wondered about it...
The Unspoken Truth: A Memoir by Lisa Zarcone
About the Book Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I was tucked warm and safe in my bed with a loving family to protect me. In the blink of an eye it all changed before my pretty baby blues. The grim reality of a mentally ill mother and a...
Overcoming Emotions & Healing Wounds by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission. In recent weeks, I’ve discovered how hard it is to overcome emotions and any fears I have. In my drawings, I find I can switch off, but also use my creative time to figure out what is going...
The Shadows in My Heart by Mary A. Havens
Mary Havens shares her compelling story in, The Shadows in My Heart, where she unmasks the truth and tragic consequences of family secrets and mysteries. This groundbreaking autobiography, her lifelong quest, is about real people who inhabited a...
A Stray, Wet Cat by Roxie Stricker
Could she have done something? It’s too late now to tell. Too late to go back. She’s gone forward, for sure. More than most. But she still feels it. Fear can’t seem to escape her coursing bloodstream. She wants someone to hold her. To protect her...
Ink Boxer Dog by Vanessa Hicks
Vanessa Hicks. All rights reserved. Published by permission...
I Will Never Be the Same Again by Asha Lightbearer
Every time I sing this song I am reminded of the sweetness of happy, healthy romantic love. In the past, my understanding of love was pretty much synonymous with pain, loss or longing. However, a few years ago, I decided I was not going to play that...
Fiona by Asha Lightbearer
Fiona is the story of child sexual abuse survivors everywhere–abused by the people they know and trust, and most often silently carrying the pain and shame of that abuse into their adult lives and relationships. Only when we are willing to face...
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