Suppressed Creativity and trauma

When Charles Perrault, in 1697, decided to pen the story of Cinderella, a tale he and others had heard by word of mouth, he had no idea he was starting what could be called “the Cinderella movement”: a contagious frenzy to create endless versions of the classic fairy tale, packed with emotion, hope, and dreams. Cinderella, like many other fantasy stories, is the product of a creative mind that continues to inspire children to this day. Without imagination and creative work, we deny children the chance to experience fantasy in ways that let them enact their dreams and carry them in their minds for days on end.

If we look closely at imagination, we discover some interesting facts. In a 2015 study, Dr. Colin A. Ross, a clinician, author, and founder of The Colin A. Ross Institute for Psychological Trauma, states that regular exposure to abuse can create fertile ground for imagination, fantasy, and creativity. Imaginary friends, he explains, are more than just play—they are a coping mechanism, conjured by the brain to soothe a child’s pain by turning attention away from the trauma.

Dr. Ross also distinguishes between repression and dissociation. In repression, information moves vertically, pushed down into the subconscious, causing the child to shut down. In dissociation, the information moves horizontally into another part of the brain, taking an altered form, such as imaginative characters. Both extremes can be detrimental. Dissociation disrupts thoughts, identity, and memory, while suppression does not eliminate trauma, it simply buries it, meaning those suppressed experiences can resurface later, negatively impacting life and relationships.

Regression is another defense mechanism, where a child unconsciously reverts to an earlier developmental stage. Traumatized children often fall behind their peers and continue this pattern into adulthood if they do not receive the support and care needed to thrive.

Trauma also physically affects the brain. Chronic stress shrinks the hippocampus, which is crucial for learning and memory, and strengthens the amygdala, which regulates emotional memory and fear. A child living in constant fight-or-flight mode prioritizes survival over learning. This adaptation helps them survive but makes school and other learning environments more challenging.

As an art therapist focused on children affected by trauma, I cannot overstate the importance of balancing imaginative and creative development with analytical and practical learning. Children who have experienced trauma but have no developmental disabilities often struggle at school. Their brains have adapted to survive trauma, not to match the learning advantages of children raised in safe, loving environments. Without guidance, these children may internalize feelings of inadequacy, which can spiral into long-term mental health challenges.

Speaking from personal experience, I should have been a highly creative and imaginative child, inventing fantasy worlds and characters. Instead, I became suppressed and uncreative. Why? As a child, I loved fantasy stories, but our household emphasized medical encyclopedias, healthy eating books, and religious magazines. Daily Bible readings and religious study were heavy for a young child, and I longed for the stories other children read.

I was raised by a loving but extreme religious mother who viewed fantasy as sinful. Fairies, elves, Santa, and Easter bunnies were forbidden, and even imagining or emulating them was seen as dangerous. At a young age, being told that God could read your thoughts made it nearly impossible to freely explore imagination. I buried my fantasies in my subconscious to stay “safe,” which suppressed my natural creativity for years.

On the other hand, my father, a highly creative but violent artist affected by schizophrenia and other mental disorders, demanded perfection, obedience, and sacrifice, even in creative endeavors. Creativity felt too risky. Suppression became my safest option. Only in adulthood, after healing from trauma through art, could I reclaim my creativity and imagination.

Art therapy differs from traditional psychology because it taps into the subconscious, where trauma is stored. When helping someone affected by trauma, combining different therapeutic methods enhances outcomes. Children respond best to art therapy, which is different from simply making art as a hobby. Art psychotherapy embraces multiple theoretical frameworks and, when used alone or in combination with other techniques, can deliver extraordinary results.

Below are some types of therapies that can be effectively combined with art therapy. Remember: the goal is not just to create, but to engage the mind and subconscious in a structured, healing process.

· Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)

· Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

· Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

· Narrative exposure therapy (NET)

· Prolonged exposure therapy (PE)

· Trauma model therapy

· Play therapy

· Music therapy

· Surfing therapy