Reintegrating fractured memory: an artistic installation synthesizing contemporary psychology and shamanic healing practices

Abstract

Creating art therapeutically can help cope with stress, work through traumatic experiences, facilitate memory recollection, and increase self-awareness. The thesis installation presented in this paper represents the use of clay as a medium to document my path towards healing as a survivor of early childhood abuse. By working with both contemporary and shamanic approaches concerning triggers, flashbacks, and dissociation, I explored the individuation process by utilizing both psychological and spiritual approaches to healing from trauma.