I’m a writer, and I use words to tell stories. But after a tragic event in 1993, I felt as though words had lost their efficacy. Luckily, I was able to use other mediums, namely drawing and painting, to help me deal with what I witnessed. If you’ve experienced trauma, art — whether it’s drawing, painting or writing, can help you cope. Here’s how I learned.
A Commute I’ll Always Remember
On Dec. 7, 1993, I traveled home on an evening train. At some point, I dozed off, but as the train approached one of the stations, a commotion startled me awake. When I looked over my shoulder from my aisle seat, I saw panicked passengers rushing toward me. I hadn’t realized it, but they were running from a commuter who was firing an automatic pistol at others in the rear of the train car.
It’s odd, but when I recall memories of the next few minutes, they have the quality of a time-lapse video, where moments speed by quickly and feel slightly disconnected: I’m crouched below my seat. Then, I see a gunman fire at others. He glances at me, but moves on. Three commuters then tackle the gunman. Next, I see wounded people, and try to help, but become overwhelmed. I hear a woman screaming she’s been shot. I notice blood on the floor and see a body slumped over in a seat. Finally, I panic and run to the next car to exit the train.
[For more on this story by Terry Sullivan, go to https://www.nytimes.com/2018/0...-through-trauma.html]
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