Art That Overcomes

Whenever I find myself in the midst of an overwhelming trauma reaction…you know…the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn type of response… when I can tell that something deep within me has REALLY been triggered, it always comes back to my inner child. In those situations, there’s some aspect of the trigger that has brought my wounded childhood part to the forefront. I can usually tell this is what’s going on, by the type of behavior that results. Often, for me, I either shrink back and isolate out of insecurity and social anxiety, OR I go into full on fight mode and throw a tantrum…I have a big temper outburst where I feel compelled to yell and slam a door. 

Over the years, my art and writing process has, time and time again, been a place that I can return, to release all the confusing emotions that I’m experiencing and practice what it looks like to nurture and care for the parts that are hurting. 

Today I’m sharing a drawing I did a while back, where I pretty quickly was able to go through this process of identifying my emotions, expressing them, and getting to the root of what they had to tell me. 

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Hey Overcomer, this week I want to share with you a very special podcast interview I did with Michael Unbroken on the Think Unbroken Podcast. I’ve gotten so much out of Michael’s work, and it was such a privilege to appear on his show. In this interview, you’ll hear me share more of my backstory than I have anywhere else, and you’ll also learn more about some foundational principles behind art therapy. I know that Michael likes to go deep with his guests, so I didn’t hold anything back. I really hope you get a lot out of it.

And as always, if you’d like to check out my Redefined coaching app, join my free Facebook group, join my email list, or anything else, click the link below to find everything you need.

https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer

“I long to let it go and I don't know how.”

Have you ever felt this way, Overcomer? Like there's something you long to move past, get over, or let go of....and you just can't seem to do it. It doesn't make sense. It's confusing. It feels like you're working against yourself, even though you don't want to be.

Not only have I been there in the past, but I honestly think it's an ongoing part of the human condition. It's something we have to constantly be aware of and address.

The good news....

I believe it does get easier once we are aware of this push-pull dynamic within ourselves, and once we've gotten some practice addressing it.

But you've gotta be willing to get honest with yourself.

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The narcissist isn’t in charge anymore. It’s your turn, Overcomer. 

You’ll hear art therapist and coach, Jennifer Kramer, share a glimpse into her unique art and writing process that helps women redefine their identity after narcissistic abuse, one drawing or painting at a time. Jennifer also invites you to imagine what encouraging words your Future Self may have for you today.

To view the art image discussed in the episode, sign up for weekly emails, or learn more about The Redefined Process, go here: https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer

Each one of us has so many different parts that make up who we are… our personality, past trauma, and other memorable moments that shape who we have become. And it’s normal for us to have certain parts of ourselves that we’re not as comfortable with. We may actively try to avoid those parts, or our subconscious mind may be pushing them down for us.

What’s more, as Overcomers of narcissistic abuse, we’ve been actively told by our abusers that certain aspects of our identity, our very sense of self, are wrong, bad, or ugly. That’s a lot for us to unpack as we begin to heal.

Today I’d like to share a drawing I did last year, where I really settled into this idea of embracing whatever parts of myself needed to speak.

"How do you work through confusion to find direction and clarity after leaving an abusive relationship with a narcissist? That’s a good question, right?

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The narcissist isn’t in charge anymore. It’s your turn, Overcomer.

You’ll hear art therapist and coach, Jennifer Kramer, share a glimpse into her unique art and writing process that helps women redefine their identity after narcissistic abuse, one drawing or painting at a time. Jennifer also invites you to imagine what encouraging words your Future Self may have for you today.

To view the art image discussed in the episode, sign up for weekly emails, or learn more about The Redefined Process, go here: https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer

These days, we’re all photographers, aren’t we? Armed with a smartphone, tablet, or basic little digital camera, we all have the ability to take some pretty awesome photos. Heck, even back when I had a flip phone, I found myself using the camera feature a lot. And even before that, disposable cameras were so easy to come by, I always had one on hand, to capture both the beautiful and silly moments of life. 

Whether you consider yourself a photographer in any sense, or not, I invite you to listen in today as I share one of the ways I’ve found myself intuitively using my iPhone camera to explore my ever-evolving sense of Self.

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Sometimes we come to a place in life where we realize that certain people or situations are not fulfilling us the way they used to. And sometimes, those people or situations are not only failing to give us what we need, but they are also draining and depleting us. Our energy is low, and we don’t have the time, space, or resources to fill ourselves back up as long as we stay in the same place. 

I’ve been feeling this lately, in a few different areas of my life....

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Interested in being interviewed on the podcast? Reach out to me at [email protected]

Here's the link to all the things:

https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer

Who gets to decide who you are? 

The natural answer might be, “Me, of course!”. But in reality, we often let others decide and define who we are. Our family members, spouses, teachers, friends, coworkers, employers, and especially…the abusive and narcissistic people in our lives. 

Sometimes we get in the habit of trusting others’ definitions of our identities more than our own. And sometimes this happens automatically because we don’t really know who we are…or at least we think we don’t.

Feelings of self-doubt and lack of confidence are so common for Overcomers of narcissistic abuse to experience. The narcissist made it their job to instill this self-doubt in us, so that we would always follow their lead and look to them for guidance and answers. They trained us to question our own thoughts and opinions, which kept us trapped under their control. 

So, understandably, we come out of these abusive relationships continuing to doubt ourselves, and feeling a lack of confidence in our ability to stand firm on our own. 

But the good news is that we do not have to stay trapped there! YOU do not have to stay trapped in this insecure, weak place. You can and will build confidence in yourself and your ability to shine…in your ability to be yourself and stand firm in your choices and actions in YOUR life. 

To view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, schedule a FREE 15-minute Coaching Call, order Jennifer's book, or learn more about The Redefined Process, go here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠