Music and the Arts are wonderful pastimes, and many of us enjoy relaxing to songs streaming in our ears. I don’t leave the house without my earbuds. My kids have fun choosing and playing music in the car on the school run.

I wear my earbuds everywhere, whether I’m exercising, doing chores around the house, or doing laundry.

Music plays a significant role in my life, but it can also be bittersweet. Some days, music is my worst enemy.

Sometimes, a song will play on the radio or TV, and I freeze. My body instantly stops, like a robot that’s run out of batteries. I feel a twitch somewhere in my body, and I know I’ve been triggered. Seconds later, my brain hits me with unbearable pain.

I’m back there, decades ago, in a moment I want to forget, and there is nothing I can do about it. My brain has hijacked my body and is playing a private 3D movie inside my head.

No, I’m not sick or stupid, nor am I mentally ill. I have something called Complex PTSD as a result of witnessing and experiencing horrific things as a child, while also being abused in the worst possible way.

Trauma triggers can happen without any warning. I can only liken it to a seizure, in which your brain takes you inside your body, but you are completely aware of your surroundings. Your brain makes you remember, even when you don’t want to.

So, how do you come out of a trigger?

I may not be able to draw, but I can play the guitar and flute. If I’m having a bad day, listening to music doesn’t cut it for me.

I need more.

I need to feel the music emanating from my fingertips. This is when I turn to playing my own music. I feel much better after playing for an hour and have driven my emotions out through the beats and harmonies of the music.

How do you handle your feelings after a trigger?

Maybe you are like me and turn to music, but there are many ways to deal with triggers. You must try to find out what works best for you.

My most important advice is that you must take care of yourself after a triggered memory. They are exhausting, and it feels like your body has been for a workout afterward.

My name is Lizzy. I’m a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.

If you like reading my posts, then please follow me.

For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com

Support your fellow writer:

https://ko-fi.com/elizabe69245484

Photo by Marius Masalar on Unsplash

Guest Post Disclaimer: Any and all information shared in this guest blog post is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this blog post, nor any content on CPTSDfoundation.org, is a supplement for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers. Thoughts, ideas, or opinions expressed by the writer of this guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of CPTSD Foundation. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Full Disclaimer.

Elizabeth Woods

For more about me: https://www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com

Elizabeth Woods grew up in a world of brutal sex offenders, murderers, and inconceivably neglectful adults. Elizabeth is passionate about spreading awareness of what it is like to survive after trauma. She is the author of several books and has written her memoir, telling her childhood story: The Sex-Offender’s Daughter: A True Story of Survival Against All Odds, available on Amazon Kindle and paperback.

Elizabeth is also the author of “Living with Complex PTSD” and the Cedar’s Port Fiction series: “Saving Joshua”, “Protecting Sarah”, “Guarding Noah” and “Bringing Back Faith,” and “Restoring Hope,” available here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BCBZQN7L/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=7e223b5b-1a29-45f0-ad9d-e9c8fdb59e9c&ref_=ap_rdr&ccs_id=931f96e2-c220-4765-acc8-cc99bb95e8bd

www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com/

• Access to emotions that may feel too overwhelming or confusing to talk about

• A sense of control – you decide what to create, how, and when

• Permission to play – something trauma often robs us of

• An outlet for release, without needing to explain or justify

Even if you don’t consider yourself “creative,” this is not about masterpieces. It’s about process over product. Scribbles. Messes. Half-finished things. It all counts.


🎒 Ways to Try This Out

Here are a few low-pressure ways to bring creative healing into your week:

🎨 Intuitive painting or drawing – Set a timer for 10 minutes. Use whatever colors or shapes call to you. No plan. Just let your hands move.

✍️ Stream-of-consciousness writing – Set a timer and write without stopping. Let it all spill out. Burn it afterward if that feels freeing.

🖼️ Collage – Cut up magazines or print images and create a visual representation of what safety, power, or freedom look like to you.

🎶 Music and movement – Make a playlist that speaks to your current season. Let your body move gently to the rhythm.

🍃 Nature-based art – Use leaves, rocks, or sticks to build something outside. No pressure, just presence.


🌻 One More Thing…

Creative expression isn’t a replacement for trauma work, but it’s a beautiful support and companion.
Think of it like building a language with your soul – one where your wounds can be witnessed, honored, and gently reshaped into something new.

And yes, laughter counts as art. Dance counts as art. Journaling counts as art.

You, just as you are, count as an artist.

So this July, whether it’s doodling in the margins, scribbling in a journal, or dancing in your kitchen, let creativity be part of your healing toolkit.

🧠 Your body will thank you.
💛 Your heart will exhale.
🌅 And somewhere, without needing to try, you’ll remember – there’s life beyond surviving.


🎯 Try This Week

Set aside just 10 minutes and try one of these:

🖌️ Draw your current emotional state using only shapes and colors – no words.
📝 Write a letter you’ll never send to someone or something that hurt you.
🧩 Make a mini collage that reflects how you want to feel by the end of the year.
💃 Put on a song that moves you and let your body respond – no choreography, no rules.

👉 Then pause. What came up? How do you feel now?

You don’t have to be “good at art” to heal.
You just have to show up and create something true.


With you in it,

P.S. If you’re ready to take the next step in healing from abuse and would like to explore enrolling in the Beyond Surviving program, start by applying for a Discover Your Genuine Self Session.

P.P.S. Find other inspiration and resources here: 
https://www.rachelgrantcoaching.com/resources/creative/

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Guest Post Disclaimer: Any and all information shared in this guest blog post is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this blog post, nor any content on CPTSDfoundation.org, is a supplement for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers. Thoughts, ideas, or opinions expressed by the writer of this guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of CPTSD Foundation. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and Full Disclaimer.

Rachel Grant

Rachel Grant is the owner and founder of Rachel Grant Coaching and is a Sexual Abuse Recovery Coach and M.A. in Counseling Psychology. She is also the author of Beyond Surviving: The Final Stage in Recovery from Sexual Abuse.  Based on her educational training, study of neuroscience, and lessons learned from her own journey, she has successfully used the Beyond Surviving Program since 2007 to help survivors of childhood sexual abuse who are beyond sick and tired of feeling broken and unfixable break free from the pain of abuse and finally move on with their lives.

www.rachelgrantcoaching.com