Healing from trauma isn’t easy, especially when it lives in your body and shapes how you experience the world. For years, I felt stuck—like my ability to express myself was buried under layers of pain and self-doubt. But I’ve learned that creating a safe space can change everything. It’s in this space where creativity blooms, healing begins, and self-discovery becomes possible.
What Is a Safe Space and Why Is It Important?
A safe space is where your guard comes down. It’s not about being on high alert or watching your back. It’s a space where stress isn’t welcome. And why does that matter for creativity and healing? Because when trauma is stuck in your body, it takes over everything. Your ability to create shrinks. Your focus stays on the trauma—it speaks through your body, your actions, your choices. When that’s at the center of everything, nothing else can truly shine.
That was me. Trauma lived in my body for years. Little things—like coloring—would overwhelm me. I’d get stuck in my head. What’s the right color? Am I doing this right? If I choose this color, then I’ll have to change that one. That wasn’t just overthinking; it was trauma talking. The trauma talking was really me talking—reacting to everyone and everything like this because my abuser had planted those thoughts in my head. Because my abuser didn’t make me feel good enough, I felt this constant need to be and do better. I was stuck in this endless regimen, always striving, always second-guessing, never allowing myself to just be.
The Impact of Trauma on Creativity
When you’ve been through trauma, creativity often takes a back seat. It’s hard to dream, imagine, or create when you’re just trying to survive. Trauma pulls your focus inward, making it feel impossible to explore the outer world of colors, shapes, or words.
For me, this played out in subtle but powerful ways. I avoided anything creative because I felt like I wasn’t good at it. Why try if it wouldn’t be perfect? But the truth is, creativity isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being free. A safe space creates the room you need to let go of those fears and just try.
How Safe Spaces Can Take Many Forms
Safe spaces aren’t one-size-fits-all. For some, it’s a physical place—a room, a corner, or even a chair where you can breathe. For others, it’s emotional, where boundaries are set, and self-compassion is practiced. It might even be a combination of both. The important thing is that it’s yours—a space free from judgment, fear, or stress.
My safe space wasn’t something I found overnight. It took time to identify what I needed. At first, it was simply giving myself permission to stop being perfect all the time. Later, it became the physical act of creating—a room where I could paint, write, and let my guard down. Your safe space might look entirely different, and that’s okay. What matters is that it feels right for you.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or like you couldn’t create freely, know that you’re not alone. For me, creating a safe space was the first step to unlocking my creativity and starting to heal. In the next post, I’ll share how a single painting session taught me to let my guard down and embrace imperfection—and how it completely changed my outlook on creativity.
