Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Tattoos as Therapy: A Journey of Self-Expression - S4 E3
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Tattoos as Therapy: A Journey of Self-Expression - S4 E3
In this conversation, Teri Anderson explores the profound connection between trauma and tattoos, discussing how individuals use body art as a means of self-expression and healing. She highlights the common experiences of trauma survivors and the various ways they cope, including the use of tattoos to tell their stories. The discussion delves into the symbolism behind popular tattoo designs, the significance of memorial tattoos, and the transformative power of art in the healing process. Teri emphasizes the importance of understanding the narratives behind tattoos, encouraging listeners to see them as expressions of resilience and recovery. In this conversation, Teri Anderson explores the profound connection between tattoos and personal healing. She shares various stories behind tattoos that symbolize resilience, trauma, and recovery. The discussion emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, community, and self-expression in the healing journey. Teri highlights how tattoos serve as reminders of strength and transformation, while also addressing the emotional weight of personal experiences and the significance of shared narratives among trauma survivors. Takeaways Tattoos can represent deep, unspoken trauma. Not all tattoos are linked to pain; some celebrate joy. Art on the body can be a powerful storytelling tool. Coping mechanisms for trauma have evolved over time.
There is one thing that the tattoos of trauma survivors have in common.
And that is a deep.That is a deep, soul crushing pain that's either known or unknown, spoken or unspoken.
Maya Angelou said, up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise.
And I think that's very true with what we see in today's culture of trauma survivors telling their stories and letting others see exactly.
how they're feeling. We're reclaiming our bodies. We're reclaiming our thoughts. We are reclaiming our identities. Before I go any further, I want to say that not all tattoos are rooted in pain. Not all tattoos are rooted in trauma.
but for those of us that have chosen to wear our stories.
That's the case.
In past decades, the survivors of trauma dealt with their trauma.
through a lot of different coping mechanisms, including avoidance, substance abuse, seeking social support, religious practices, rituals, creative outlets, sometimes therapy, but therapy wasn't always.
Therapy was pretty much a stigma in past decades.
In today's culture, with tattoos being more prevalent,
and the stigma of self-harm.
being so heavy. Many of us have chosen to tell our stories.
through the art on our bodies.
Teri Anderson (05:10.688)
And I wanted in the past, the past episode, we talked a lot about the correlation between trauma. We spoke a lot about the core. I spoke a lot. I spoke a lot about the correlations there are between trauma and tattoos.
Here we are in 2025. My traumas started in 1962, the year I was born.
A lot of them were seared into my soul and I didn't know what they were. I had no idea what they were.
But I wanted to go through in this episode here and kind of show you some of these. So you'll be aware if you see someone with some of these tattoos, you're be able to put it together and you're gonna be able to say, oh my gosh, I know what that means instead of, oh my gosh, that's trash. That was totally stupid.
It might give you a little better understanding at some of the pain and some of the situations that we've gone through that have really been bigger and heavier than we have been able to carry alone.
I think in some instances we do tell our story.
in some instances, in some instances, in some situations.
We are using tattooing.
so we don't harm.
so we don't do anything that will harm our bodies and leave a scar filled with stigma.
So I'm gonna go through several resources here. I've got some pages pulled up here on the web that I'm gonna try and screen share with you guys. Some of the stories that people have that have survived their traumas.
how they chose to represent themselves.
and the meaning of the symbols that we see inked into the skin of people all around us.
I guess first I wanted to read something to you from this incredible book that I found and I'll link it in the show notes below. It is called Tattoo Monologues Indelible Marks on the Body and Soul.
I'll put the author's names in the show notes as well as the photographer's name. I'm not sure if I'll use any of these filters or not to make a point, but there are a lot of things that I would like to.
touch on in this book.
Teri Anderson (09:02.08)
And one of the reasons I think if you're contemplating
If you're
trying to put your trauma together with your ink. I think this book might be very helpful, especially for women.
Teri Anderson (09:23.509)
One of the things in here.
for praise for tattoo monologues is tattoo monologue sends a powerful message to tattoo trauma survivors like me, like you. We don't have to cover or we don't have to cower in the shame of our trauma. We don't have to hide our ink. They are a part of our stories. I find that very, very true. And as I said in the last episode,
I don't see trauma or I don't see people with tattoos and think, my God.
I see trauma. Sometimes I see beautiful art and I have some that are just beautiful art.
But the ones that you see mainly on me that are the black and gray, those are trauma. I didn't know it at the time. I was trying to survive a horrible, horrible situation, horrible memories. But I wanted to go through some of the different, as I said, some of the different tattoos that we see.
Teri Anderson (10:40.192)
in
Trauma survivors.
Let me see if I can share this screen.
Teri Anderson (11:08.928)
Okay, this screen is from themighty.com. 23 tattoos that represent healing from childhood trauma.
Now, of course, here we have the beautiful Phoenix.
Teri Anderson (11:31.766)
And I think that that pretty much relates with what my Angela was speaking about rising.
from a pain, from a.
rising up from a pain that's rising up from a past that's rooted in pain
Teri Anderson (11:56.718)
From Maya Angelou's quote that I read earlier, up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise. You're gonna see a lot of phoenixes. I know many people that have a phoenix. I considered one myself. And this tattoo right here that we have, this young woman, is a beautiful colorful phoenix. We can only see it in part there on her back.
Teri Anderson (12:28.183)
in what she has.
All right, let's go into this next one, this black and white.
Teri Anderson (12:39.5)
or black and gray, my phoenix still in progress is a symbol of my strength, of how many times I've risen from the absolutely horrible medical circumstances that have both altered the course of my life and nearly taken my life. But I survived because of the fire inside. The fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.
I think a lot of you might be able to identify with that. Now she says that this tattoo is still in progress. I will put this link in the show notes and it, like I said, it's the mighty.com, mental health, childhood trauma and tattoos. So she went full out back piece. I don't know, it's not saying if this was her first tattoo.
But generally, I have found, it's not always the case, when someone goes in, go big or go home, there's trauma, there's a story there. And sometimes, you know, a little tiny space the size of a quarter can't really fill, in my case, 62 years.
of dealing with trauma and this discovery of trauma.
Teri Anderson (14:10.062)
All right, the next one that we come to is a semicolon.
Teri Anderson (14:31.264)
is a semicolon. And the semicolon I think is pretty unique. I had considered one.
Teri Anderson (14:43.084)
And I still might do that. I'm going to have to find a unique way to deal to do that. But the semi-colon basically says, my story is not over. This woman is saying, it seems odd, but I distinctly remember reading a book about. What the hell? That's a totally different one.
Teri Anderson (15:06.082)
the semicolon, a lot of times is saying to remember every time I wanted to give up.
Teri Anderson (15:16.852)
every time I almost gave up and even when I tried to that I got through everything that had happened. Not only was it difficult but I experienced it as a child. It's a constant reminder to keep fighting and never forget what's brought me where I am now.
Teri Anderson (15:45.55)
And that is the semicolon.
Teri Anderson (16:00.696)
The semicolon.
And you're going to see that on a lot, mainly women. I've seen it on women more than I have seen it on men.
There are a lot of different tattoos that symbolize trauma or what people have gone through in their lives and trying to be the better person, trying to understand, trying to...
Teri Anderson (16:32.916)
Almost we have felt invisible for so long. We're not going to be invisible anymore. We felt forgotten.
Teri Anderson (16:45.056)
in ways that think few people can understand.
Teri Anderson (16:53.262)
So this person was talking about, they remembered reading a book about forests and forest fires when they were a child and learning how the ecosystem recovered after a fire.
I read that some trees' would only successfully plant and germinate after a large fire hot enough to open whatever structure the tree used to contain its seeds.
Teri Anderson (17:34.4)
And as a little bit of a, you know, that just reminded me of something. I was on a motorcycle one day with, we do this run. My friend Brian holds it every year. It's the St. Helens Memorial Motorcycle Run.
And one thing that really struck me on the first time, one of the first times I went up was the devastation.
that was caused in 1980 by this volcanic eruption that took many lives and left miles and miles of damage.
In between the burnt trees, they're still out there charred 40 something years later. There's new growth. There are flowers. There's beauty.
And I think that really speaks to why some people choose to get forests, trees.
Teri Anderson (18:41.516)
because there is that regrowth after a fire that has burned us to the ground.
Teri Anderson (19:22.796)
And I think we see that here in this person's tattoo. I'm trying to move this to see and it's not quite doing it right.
It's a bear tree, but the roots are deep and there are new branches on it, which is such a symbol of hope and recovery. I think it's really beautiful. I had never really thought of that before with forests and trees.
I think I'll be looking at them in much different way now. Now this one is very unique and I like the way this woman put this and I just lost my screen.
Okay.
Teri Anderson (20:18.498)
She has a birdcage. The birdcage directly over my heart represents the trauma I suffered as a child. It's all in gray tone, representing a lack of joy. The bird holding her own key in her beak and the colors of purple and blue has escaped the cage.
She flies freely away from her prison. The lettering says, love gives her wings, which means that only love can heal the pain of childhood trauma. Self-love.
I wear this tattoo proudly because it reminds me of what I have endured.
Teri Anderson (21:13.098)
and how I not only survived and how I not only survived, but I learned to thrive.
Teri Anderson (21:31.768)
So here we have her tattoo. And I think it's interesting, the cage that she has is on gray, gray and black. And the bird does indeed have the key in its beak. This is very unique.
and it reminds me of things that I too.
I've written about.
Teri Anderson (22:04.152)
That's, that's, well, that's really putting yourself out there and telling that story, isn't it?
Teri Anderson (22:19.916)
And there's, there, a lot of people use script, a passage.
From a favorite book, from a movie, something that you've written, something someone else has written, a friend of mine.
Teri Anderson (22:38.85)
had a tattoo that I think was one of the most meaningful tattoos I've ever seen.
She was on her way. I may not remember the story correctly, but she and her sister who had cancer were on the way to the doctor. And the sister took a pen, the sister that had the cancer, and wrote a little smiley face, drew a smiley face on my friend's hand. I think it's like right in here. Immediately, she knew she was, she already knew she was losing her sister.
They went to a tattoo salon, a tattoo shop, tattoo parlor. I don't know what they're called now. Studio, tattoo studio. And she had that smiley face that her sister had drawn, tattooed. So she's carrying a piece of her sister wherever she goes. And that's a reminder of their relationship and how strong it was.
Teri Anderson (23:44.364)
Now this tattoo is a reminder for all of their...
Attempts not to live, their father's death for the same reason, and many years of sexual abuse. She says, I'm still here because I have purpose. I'm still living despite all that was done to me.
Teri Anderson (24:21.646)
and this is a bit hard to read, and there you are living despite it all.
Teri Anderson (24:33.016)
So if you see people, if you see a passage, if you see script, they are really trying to invade this message. They are very aware of what they're saying. When I first started with My Ink, I was not aware of what I was saying. I was not aware that what I was doing was speaking to something that was buried deep inside of me.
Teri Anderson (24:59.416)
So if you see script, you'll know exactly.
what that is.
Teri Anderson (25:09.984)
This is another one I think is really unique and
Teri Anderson (25:19.502)
I think this is just really such a cool idea.
Teri Anderson (25:32.096)
of the balloons, the girl, the little girl holding a bunch of balloons with some drifting away. My tattoo symbolizes the hold my past has on me every so often, though I managed to let go a little, is the balloons that are floating off. At the same time, I wouldn't want to let go of everything because my past
is my life lessons, my life story, my personality, which keeps me floating. Wow, you know, this is crazy because...
I am pretty much feeling, I'm looking at these incredible realizations that these people have made. And I'm sort of feeling like.
Whoa, I didn't put that much thought into a lot of my trauma tattoos that these people have. I'm assuming they had gone through some type of therapy before and really had a vision of what they were wanting to convey and what they wanted to tell the world. Memorial tattoos, I think, are very common. My son, my eldest son, when...
My second grandson died, went and got an absolutely beautiful tattoo that had the date of his birth, the date of his death and his name.
Teri Anderson (27:11.104)
So this one, this girl is speaking of, no, it's not a girl.
Teri Anderson (27:18.36)
This person is speaking.
Teri Anderson (27:38.072)
See?
This person is saying, telling the story when their dad was killed when they were a child.
And a few years ago, I had initially had a rose tattoo in loving memory of my father on my shoulder. Then I had a full sleeve and added roses with the quote, death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal. And it's a great reminder, he says about his father, but also to others that have.
that he is lost that have been close to him.
So I think, you know, out of all of the trauma surviving tattoos.
Teri Anderson (28:29.332)
The memorial ones are the ones that are most easily understood by, you know, I don't know how to say it, like maybe the unsuspecting or the unknowledgeable public at large. They don't have tattoos that haven't gone through trauma or have dealt with trauma in different manners. And what I'm seeing with this tattoo is he first, he's saying this was done in pieces. He had first had a rose and in loving memory. And then he went on.
which is telling me he was still in the grieving process. The first part of it was probably that initial shock. My dad is gone. I know many of you, as well as myself, know that feeling. My dad is gone and it is overwhelming. And then it seems like he continued the tattoo because his grieving when he got this wasn't yet complete.
I don't know if we ever really complete.
Teri Anderson (29:36.428)
Was I even sharing that?
Teri Anderson (29:47.414)
and loving memory of my father.
1958 to 1993. Yeah, I don't know if the healing from the trauma that we've gone through has ever really complete the grief of losing people we love. I just, you know, that's a hard topic.
Teri Anderson (30:14.638)
We'll go on to the next one. this woman is saying, growing up in a toxic environment, I've been having to adapt to all of my surroundings. The lotus flower represents someone who is able to thrive in every environment they're put in. Even if it's deep in the mud, I will still thrive.
Teri Anderson (30:44.694)
It's really a beautiful tattoo. It's a very beautiful tattoo.
Teri Anderson (31:00.574)
Let me share the screen with you for this one as I read it.
This woman, Amanda, says it's almost done. I still have to add color. This tattoo represents the three main characters I created to survive abuse and oppression. The female night.
Teri Anderson (31:28.864)
Leonie and the horse's bay and the dragon. I'm currently working on writing the novels of their adventures. So she really has gone into this.
Teri Anderson (31:44.522)
and has a lot invested in telling her story. And I don't know if you can see, there's another one right here. I wish I could see what it was, but whoa, that's some pain to get through. that's a conversation starter, which is also very healing for us when people ask us, what does that mean?
Teri Anderson (32:09.526)
Now this girl got Celine Dion's autograph on her arm. She met her and this was her actual autograph, sort of like my friend, I think.
Teri Anderson (32:31.79)
Celine has been my safe place since I was bullied, a bullied teen in high school. Now on my healing journey from trauma and PTSD, she's what I end every session of EMDR with. She's the only thing that calms me and brings me joy. So that is, she's saying is Celine Dion's actual autograph.
Teri Anderson (33:13.614)
Then we have, this one's very unusual. I really like the concept of this.
This person has a tattered open door on each wrist.
when the thunderstorms of life come rolling in your front and back doors open so your troubles cannot find a home.
Teri Anderson (33:41.782)
I have a tattered open door on each of my wrists. When the thunderstorms of life come rolling in, keep your front and back doors open so that your troubles cannot find a home. Christopher says,
Teri Anderson (34:03.2)
It's a daily reminder to him that he doesn't have to take on everyone's problems as his own and that this as well as everything and that this as with everything too shall pass.
Teri Anderson (34:22.88)
I really like the meaning of a lot of these. They're, like I said, these people put a lot of thought into, no, do have some, I'm feeling, got to be a little defensive here. I do have some tattoos that are very thought out and very, very meaningful. And we're going to go into that in the next episode.
but I just wanted to give you guys some symbols in this one of things that people, things that you'll be able to, I guess understand if you see them on someone, obviously these are very unique. So when you look at tattoos, some of us, mean, I don't have a lot of real estate left. And.
But there are stories and all of the tattoos that I have seen that are just so incredible. This person's tattoo represents their childhood sexual, their, okay, let's share the screen because I can't see that.
Teri Anderson (35:33.646)
Theresa says, my tattoo represents my childhood essay and healing from that. I was always mocked for being an emotional kid, hence the crybaby. Also the Melanie Martinez song resonates with me. And the semicolon for many years of self-harm.
Teri Anderson (36:03.963)
guys this is real stuff I tell you this is legit trauma is legit
Teri Anderson (36:16.174)
Then you're see a lot of people that have a compass. And this person is saying that this compass, let's get back to screen share.
Teri Anderson (36:32.162)
This compass from the album art for the song invincible by Headley. I got this tattoo on my 18th birthday. I struggled a lot at first. I struggled a lot with at first physical abuse. Then as I got older, it turned into mental and verbal abuse. I had a lot of pressure placed on me through my school years. Or I had to be the highest academic.
I had to excel in sports and get the student of the year every year. On top of that, I had to be strong because I have four younger siblings. I've made a lot of mistakes by letting them take away my power. I've lost parts of myself, but as I get older, I regained all my missing pieces and mended my broken pieces.
So heartless, so selfish, so in darkness.
When all your nights are starless, you're running out of hope. But I found the strength inside to see. Found the better part of me, and I'll never let it go.
Teri Anderson (37:58.126)
You know, I see compasses on a lot of people and I had never really put that together with being that, with that meaning.
Teri Anderson (38:11.596)
I know we're gonna get back to the Phoenix, the girl, she says her tattoo is impossible to take a photo of a hole, but it's a phoenix hugging me with its wings.
Teri Anderson (38:30.86)
I went through a lot from early childhood. The phoenix stands for always getting up and being reborn more strongly after every failure or every bad experience and learning from it. I made it pink to symbolize the girl power and women being strong with getting out of toxic or violent situations.
Teri Anderson (39:02.508)
Now there's a woman that is in the trauma.
There's an author in the trauma world, Brene Brown.
in one of her books is called Daring Greatly. Daring Greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen, to ask for what you need, to talk about how you're feeling, to have the hard conversations.
Teri Anderson (39:41.024)
It's a quote from Brene Brown. My tattoo also has a semicolon as a reminder that I survived. I'm here and I need to keep going. It's not over. So I will dare greatly. That's really sweet.
Teri Anderson (40:08.376)
This next one is Text as Well script set free because I am set free.
Teri Anderson (40:26.082)
because I am set free from the struggles I had in the past. I am in no way fully recovered, but I'm set free from what held me back.
Teri Anderson (40:46.914)
Here's a very, there one, this one I find very interesting.
It's it's, this person got a molecule of serotonin. I got a serotonin molecule because it's released in the act of.
Teri Anderson (41:10.572)
this right there, which I can't say. I got this as a reminder that I don't have to hurt myself to be happy. There has been a major lack of stability in my life growing up. So I turned to some pretty unfortunate coping mechanisms. That word always gets me, but I'm trying so hard to move forward and focus on being a victor and not a victim.
I think that's really cool. Man, you know, these people put some thought into their stuff and I'm just like giving my arm to my tattoo artist saying, here, help. I got to hand it to these people. This is pretty cool. All right, this tattoo that this girl named Brittany got is what keeps her grounded when times get tough.
I've gone through what I've gone through and I've come out on the other side with a badge of resilience.
Teri Anderson (42:19.84)
I am a survivor, a witness, a warrior. My experiences have changed me, but that doesn't mean they have to define me. I like that. My experiences change me, but that doesn't mean they have to define me. Wow. I'm learning every single day. Good for her. That is pretty awesome.
This next one is, I got this to remind me that I have the power to be free by doing the thing I love most. I'm a screenwriter because I've always felt trapped because of the essay right there. I never told anyone, but now I can face it.
Good for them, I wrote my own deliverance. I like that.
Teri Anderson (43:13.602)
This one is absolutely beautiful.
Teri Anderson (43:19.138)
This person, Allison, was physically and mentally abused by sisters growing up.
That is hard for me to read.
because of my son Joshua. He was physically and mentally abused by his siblings. I found out and that just crushes me.
But she says because of what she went through, she grew up with no self-esteem, no confidence, depression, general anxiety, social anxiety disorder, body dysmorphia, and panic disorder. It's been a long road to recovery. I do what I have to for my peace of mind.
Okay, she got that on her foot. I have to tell you from experience, you get tattoo on your foot, you're going to feel it. That hurts. That was probably one of my most, that was probably my second most painful tattoo.
Teri Anderson (44:25.1)
This person has script on her arms. It's really, it's actually very beautiful. My tattoo says now I am a warrior.
This reminds me how far I've come.
Teri Anderson (44:40.384)
in my mental health journey. It also gives me strength. It reminds me that I'll continue to get through this journey. I've been through a lot, but I've always come out a warrior in the end.
nice
Teri Anderson (45:08.598)
I hope this is screen sharing. My thing says it's...
Teri Anderson (45:22.606)
You know, computers.
Teri Anderson (45:29.422)
Let's see if there's some more on here I wanted to share with you.
Teri Anderson (45:39.214)
All right, and I'm glad that that's the end of this article and I'm glad that they put this at the end.
Teri Anderson (45:53.07)
If you or a loved one is affected by sexual abuse or assault and need help, call the hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to be connected with a trained staff member.
service provider in your area. You know, it's, it's, it's for each of these stories I hurt for these people.
Teri Anderson (46:22.638)
I can identify with them, we're like a group, we're a community.
But each story is so painful on its own. I think being in the situation that I am in and knowing the pain that I went through, the things that I went through and how I coped and did not cope with them well, these have all the more.
significance to me. So here's one I've seen a couple of times and it is
Teri Anderson (46:59.775)
This is self-love basically. The heart with self-love.
Teri Anderson (47:22.284)
All right, before we get back into this, I'm going to share a few things from the tattoo monologues, but tattoos are a creative way of expressing yourself. They allow you, as I said earlier, to reclaim your body, to make it truly yours again. Every time you look at your tattoo, you're reminded of your strength, your resilience, and your victory over trauma. It's like a motivational speech.
without the cheesy lines and the overly enthusiastic speaker.
Teri Anderson (48:02.382)
It's really funny.
Teri Anderson (48:11.774)
know, anchor tattoos show that they're anchored, that they're safe from the storm. Then you have the butterfly tattoos.
that I can identify with and I do have a butterfly or two on me. They're pretty, they're graceful.
and they're the ultimate symbol of transformation. A butterfly tattoo is like a tribute to your personal metamorphosis, your journey from caterpillar pre-trauma to a butterfly post-trauma. It's like saying, yeah, I went through some tough times, but look at me now, I'm flying high. It's really kind of cool. I don't think I shared that.
Teri Anderson (49:11.256)
There are those beautiful, very delicate little butterflies.
A heartbeat tattoo because you're a survivor. Yes.
Teri Anderson (49:28.3)
The dragon tattoo unleashed your inner fire.
The feather tattoo, fly high, free spirit. I don't have any feathers. I'm not really sure why.
The rose, this was really hard for me to look at. I do have roses on me.
Teri Anderson (49:50.954)
Some of you know, probably a lot of you don't know the story of my son that I lost to the city of Portland and his mental illnesses. Joshua always had a fascination with long-stemmed roses. Generally, in his drawings, in his writings, he was speaking of one rose. I couldn't really figure out what that meaning was to him, why he was so fascinated with roses.
Teri Anderson (50:24.589)
And I think this sort of says it. Roses are beautiful, but they come with thorns. Sounds a lot like life, doesn't it? A rose tattoo can represent love, hope and new beginnings. It's a reminder that you bloom despite the thorns and that you found beauty in adversity. So I think with Joshua, with his
interest his fascination with roses his was more along the terms of I know I'm a beautiful delicate
creation.
But don't get too close because I have thorns and he did. It was really, it was difficult.
Teri Anderson (51:36.886)
Okay. I wanted to tell you a little bit about this, what things that I found in this book that I found really interesting. And I, I really suggest you getting this book.
Teri Anderson (51:58.754)
Ladylike tattoo monologues.
it again. You can see I have places marked in here and I don't want to
Teri Anderson (52:13.41)
do anything but really sort of let you know some of the quotes that I found in here.
Teri Anderson (52:22.966)
And I like, I like this, the way it's stated because, you know, sometimes I can say things in a way that makes sense. Sometimes they don't quite make sense, but this, how do tattoos relate to trauma? Trauma leaves a sudden irrevocable.
Teri Anderson (52:44.212)
It leaves sudden, irrevocable marks on the brain, body, mind, and spirit. These permanent traumatic imprints create a profound sense of loneliness. They cause the trauma survivor to feel detached and alienated from themselves and from others. They shatter the individual fundamental understanding of safety. If you're a trauma survivor,
I think you could probably identify with that because we do, we feel alone. Nothing around us is safe. It's almost, you know, I I don't want to say it's like walking on eggshells because it's not, it's to me, it's sort of like walking blindfolded through a field of glass and you don't know where to step because things come at you from every way and you really can't.
It's really, it's a hard walk. It's a hard walk. And this person was talking about, and again, this is from Tattoo Monologues. And I feel this a lot.
The artist poured into a small plastic cup, removed a clean needle from a sealed package, and turned on the tattoo machine. The incessant buzzing instantly provoked fear, excitement, and anticipation.
He pressed the needle into my skin. It hurt. But I knew after the pain had subsided, a symbolic piece of my narrative would be left behind and the symbol would forever be a part of me.
Teri Anderson (54:39.202)
This book's just amazing. There's one.
A quote about motherless daughters. To all the motherless daughters out there, may your heartache serve you in the best of ways. May your grief give you a better understanding of yourself. May your sentiment allow you to express and create, and may your love expand beyond what you ever thought was possible. And that's a quote by Keiko.
to Maki.
This book is so cool because it goes to a lot of, it goes to a lot of feelings that I think most of us as trauma survivors have felt. Betrayal. my gosh, betrayal is just, it's so ingrained and it's so, it's so real. It's so real.
Teri Anderson (55:44.972)
dejection.
Teri Anderson (55:53.602)
This is a quote by Judith Lewis Herman, the conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them out loud.
is a central dialect of psychological trauma.
Teri Anderson (56:14.796)
Well.
Yeah. I think a lot of the things that we feel and a of things that happened to us, we're ashamed of. People either talked us into being ashamed or it was just this natural shame that comes with a lot of things that happened to you. And you're like, why wasn't I strong enough?
But what we have to remember is we're speaking as that five or six year old child. Would you expect a five or six year old child, seven, eight, nine year old child to be able to stand up to authority or anyone for that matter and take care of themselves? I...
I think that is what.
Teri Anderson (57:06.72)
is so profound about this quote. The conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them aloud is essential dialect of psychological trauma.
Teri Anderson (57:29.869)
You
Teri Anderson (57:38.368)
I'm not gonna do this book justice. I'm going to read to you some of the feelings here, the chapters.
Maybe you can get a little bit of an idea of some of the things that trauma survivors deal with and some of the ways we're trying to either say, this is my body, I'll do what I want. Some of it is a very stubbornness to say, stay away from me.
Stay away from me. Some of it is to reclaim control over our own lives when we feel we have no control at all.
some of it's to commemorate, some of it's to inspire. I have, I don't know if you're gonna be able to see it here or not.
This script here, I tried to it the other day and it didn't show, but I went in and I remember it was at the time where my life was just falling to pieces. It was completely falling apart.
Teri Anderson (58:52.384)
I had been put on some really horrible medication for a very wrong diagnosis that really spun me out of control. And all I wanted to do is what this says, live, laugh, love, and dream.
But this book, it hurts to look at this as a trauma survivor and know that there are other people. That's kind of hard to say. It hurts to know that there are other people out there, but it also is sort of comforting to know that I am not alone in a lot of the struggles that I had. But the contents here, against all odds, betrayal, dejection.
Reclaimed the gift guardian angel recovering rescues rescued. She's got my back. The slide hope in a dragonfly. love dragonfly tattoos. I would love to have one forgiveness pink dress tic tac motherless. That stings. That stings.
Protection abandoned.
Teri Anderson (01:00:11.116)
and teardrops.
Teri Anderson (01:00:16.408)
So guess really the purpose of this episode...
Teri Anderson (01:00:35.298)
I guess the purpose of this episode was for those of you.
Teri Anderson (01:00:43.96)
to see people and immediately judge.
to give you a little understanding that a lot of us are crying out. And for those of you that are tattooed to realize you're not alone, you're not alone. I now know that the sleeves, they did several things for me, but I think...
one of the things, look, they're black and gray.
One of the things I think now that I'm coming to understand is to stay away, to keep your distance.
Because in my life to be close to anyone means devastation is going to occur.
Teri Anderson (01:01:40.396)
And I'm not really sure how.
Teri Anderson (01:01:47.054)
Other people see me. I've only had one derogatory comment
Teri Anderson (01:01:53.902)
Oh, you know what I wanted to do?
Teri Anderson (01:01:59.596)
I want to do an unofficial, this is not sponsored, but I wanted to tell you about this girl. She's in Portland, her name is Haley, and the name of her company is Nightwork Candle.
I don't think you can see the candle that I have back there burning, but she has the most beautiful candles. This one I just ordered. It's a new fragrance that she has, a new aroma. It's called Gigi Moved to Paris, Texas. I love that because as a Texan, I know where Paris, Texas is. The smell is delightful. I I met her a couple of years ago and I have bought probably close to
to 100 candles of hers. They're unique, they're beautiful. And they're just like Hailey. So I'm gonna leave her link in the show notes below as well because I just wanna give her a shout out. This girl, she's just, she's awesome. She's absolutely awesome.
Teri Anderson (01:03:29.41)
The saying beauty is only skin deep.
Teri Anderson (01:03:38.232)
comes to mind here.
Teri Anderson (01:03:42.732)
I think there's a lot of beauty within us that has had to be closed off for one reason or another. And it seems like with every discovery that we make along the way, every box that's opened, sometimes we can deal with it and sometimes we can't. Sometimes we cope. I am really thankful that I no longer use anything sharp.
that I am, that part of me is gone. I have been through so much therapy and my tattoos were a big part of my therapy. So I just want to encourage you when you see someone that's tattooed.
Teri Anderson (01:04:28.098)
Look at their tattoo and think, what have they been through? What have they been through? And maybe give them a little grace.
Teri Anderson (01:04:44.632)
So let me say goodbye.
on that note and I am going to hopefully get
you guys leave some comments. I, I was so, I was so blown away by the comments you all left and the messages I received from the last episode of the tattoos and trauma. I was blown away.
it
Teri Anderson (01:05:23.118)
people were so encouraging. I think they were coming together as they had found a group.
Teri Anderson (01:05:32.746)
And there's, it's just, to me, it was very meaningful that I was able to touch upon a topic that people really could resonate with and say, my gosh. my gosh. That makes sense.
All right guys, so with that thought, I'll see you real soon.
Esoteric Tattoo: https://g.co/kgs/nE2RkWk https://themighty.com/topic/mental-health/childhood-trauma-tattoos/ Tattoo Monologues: https://www.amazon.com/Tattoo-Monologues-Indelible-Marks-Body-Soul/dp/1647423112/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NOPE2BQP1ZQ9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-GUKXnebwUZFCcDMI3Qbsw.IsCsmLyQ5H3bN9J6-Lb1jXE5ge5vtyKyKrIBzl7nVxM&dib_tag=se&keywords=tattoo+monologues&qid=1745033350&sprefix=tattoo+mono%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1 Teri Anderson The Tattooed Biker Chick Digging Through Dominoes
Tattoos as Expressions of Trauma: Many trauma survivors use tattoos to reclaim their bodies, identities, and narratives, turning pain into visible, meaningful art.
Not All Tattoos Stem from Trauma: While not every tattoo is rooted in pain, those discussed in this episode specifically represent survival, healing, and emotional resilience.
Symbolic Tattoo Themes: Common motifs among trauma tattoos include the phoenix (rebirth), semicolon (survival and continuation), forests/trees (regrowth), birdcages (freedom from abuse), and balloons (letting go).
Script and Personal Messages: Words, quotes, and phrases are often tattooed to serve as affirmations or reminders of a survivor's strength and journey.
Memorial Tattoos: Many people honor lost loved ones with tattoos that symbolize grief, love, and remembrance—these are some of the most universally understood trauma tattoos.
Creative Representations: Survivors sometimes invent characters or stories—like fantasy figures or symbolic animals—to express their inner struggles and healing journeys.
Celebrities and Healing Anchors: Tattoos can also commemorate people or influences, like a celebrity or song, that brought comfort during hard times (e.g., Celine Dion’s autograph as a source of peace).
Awareness Through Design: Designs like serotonin molecules, anchors, butterflies, roses, hearts, and compasses are often chosen for their deeper psychological and emotional meanings.
Tattoos and Therapeutic Growth: Many trauma tattoos reflect a personal evolution, often tied to therapy, self-love, empowerment, and the desire to be seen and validated.
The Book “Tattoo Monologues”: The host references and recommends this book, emphasizing how trauma leaves lasting mental and emotional marks, and tattoos can serve as a powerful tool in processing and expressing those wounds.
View all episodes
By Teri AndersonIn this conversation, Teri Anderson explores the profound connection between trauma and tattoos, discussing how individuals use body art as a means of self-expression and healing. She highlights the common experiences of trauma survivors and the various ways they cope, including the use of tattoos to tell their stories. The discussion delves into the symbolism behind popular tattoo designs, the significance of memorial tattoos, and the transformative power of art in the healing process. Teri emphasizes the importance of understanding the narratives behind tattoos, encouraging listeners to see them as expressions of resilience and recovery. In this conversation, Teri Anderson explores the profound connection between tattoos and personal healing. She shares various stories behind tattoos that symbolize resilience, trauma, and recovery. The discussion emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, community, and self-expression in the healing journey. Teri highlights how tattoos serve as reminders of strength and transformation, while also addressing the emotional weight of personal experiences and the significance of shared narratives among trauma survivors. Takeaways Tattoos can represent deep, unspoken trauma. Not all tattoos are linked to pain; some celebrate joy. Art on the body can be a powerful storytelling tool. Coping mechanisms for trauma have evolved over time.
There is one thing that the tattoos of trauma survivors have in common.
And that is a deep.That is a deep, soul crushing pain that's either known or unknown, spoken or unspoken.
Maya Angelou said, up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise.
And I think that's very true with what we see in today's culture of trauma survivors telling their stories and letting others see exactly.
how they're feeling. We're reclaiming our bodies. We're reclaiming our thoughts. We are reclaiming our identities. Before I go any further, I want to say that not all tattoos are rooted in pain. Not all tattoos are rooted in trauma.
but for those of us that have chosen to wear our stories.
That's the case.
In past decades, the survivors of trauma dealt with their trauma.
through a lot of different coping mechanisms, including avoidance, substance abuse, seeking social support, religious practices, rituals, creative outlets, sometimes therapy, but therapy wasn't always.
Therapy was pretty much a stigma in past decades.
In today's culture, with tattoos being more prevalent,
and the stigma of self-harm.
being so heavy. Many of us have chosen to tell our stories.
through the art on our bodies.
Teri Anderson (05:10.688)
And I wanted in the past, the past episode, we talked a lot about the correlation between trauma. We spoke a lot about the core. I spoke a lot. I spoke a lot about the correlations there are between trauma and tattoos.
Here we are in 2025. My traumas started in 1962, the year I was born.
A lot of them were seared into my soul and I didn't know what they were. I had no idea what they were.
But I wanted to go through in this episode here and kind of show you some of these. So you'll be aware if you see someone with some of these tattoos, you're be able to put it together and you're gonna be able to say, oh my gosh, I know what that means instead of, oh my gosh, that's trash. That was totally stupid.
It might give you a little better understanding at some of the pain and some of the situations that we've gone through that have really been bigger and heavier than we have been able to carry alone.
I think in some instances we do tell our story.
in some instances, in some instances, in some situations.
We are using tattooing.
so we don't harm.
so we don't do anything that will harm our bodies and leave a scar filled with stigma.
So I'm gonna go through several resources here. I've got some pages pulled up here on the web that I'm gonna try and screen share with you guys. Some of the stories that people have that have survived their traumas.
how they chose to represent themselves.
and the meaning of the symbols that we see inked into the skin of people all around us.
I guess first I wanted to read something to you from this incredible book that I found and I'll link it in the show notes below. It is called Tattoo Monologues Indelible Marks on the Body and Soul.
I'll put the author's names in the show notes as well as the photographer's name. I'm not sure if I'll use any of these filters or not to make a point, but there are a lot of things that I would like to.
touch on in this book.
Teri Anderson (09:02.08)
And one of the reasons I think if you're contemplating
If you're
trying to put your trauma together with your ink. I think this book might be very helpful, especially for women.
Teri Anderson (09:23.509)
One of the things in here.
for praise for tattoo monologues is tattoo monologue sends a powerful message to tattoo trauma survivors like me, like you. We don't have to cover or we don't have to cower in the shame of our trauma. We don't have to hide our ink. They are a part of our stories. I find that very, very true. And as I said in the last episode,
I don't see trauma or I don't see people with tattoos and think, my God.
I see trauma. Sometimes I see beautiful art and I have some that are just beautiful art.
But the ones that you see mainly on me that are the black and gray, those are trauma. I didn't know it at the time. I was trying to survive a horrible, horrible situation, horrible memories. But I wanted to go through some of the different, as I said, some of the different tattoos that we see.
Teri Anderson (10:40.192)
in
Trauma survivors.
Let me see if I can share this screen.
Teri Anderson (11:08.928)
Okay, this screen is from themighty.com. 23 tattoos that represent healing from childhood trauma.
Now, of course, here we have the beautiful Phoenix.
Teri Anderson (11:31.766)
And I think that that pretty much relates with what my Angela was speaking about rising.
from a pain, from a.
rising up from a pain that's rising up from a past that's rooted in pain
Teri Anderson (11:56.718)
From Maya Angelou's quote that I read earlier, up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise. You're gonna see a lot of phoenixes. I know many people that have a phoenix. I considered one myself. And this tattoo right here that we have, this young woman, is a beautiful colorful phoenix. We can only see it in part there on her back.
Teri Anderson (12:28.183)
in what she has.
All right, let's go into this next one, this black and white.
Teri Anderson (12:39.5)
or black and gray, my phoenix still in progress is a symbol of my strength, of how many times I've risen from the absolutely horrible medical circumstances that have both altered the course of my life and nearly taken my life. But I survived because of the fire inside. The fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.
I think a lot of you might be able to identify with that. Now she says that this tattoo is still in progress. I will put this link in the show notes and it, like I said, it's the mighty.com, mental health, childhood trauma and tattoos. So she went full out back piece. I don't know, it's not saying if this was her first tattoo.
But generally, I have found, it's not always the case, when someone goes in, go big or go home, there's trauma, there's a story there. And sometimes, you know, a little tiny space the size of a quarter can't really fill, in my case, 62 years.
of dealing with trauma and this discovery of trauma.
Teri Anderson (14:10.062)
All right, the next one that we come to is a semicolon.
Teri Anderson (14:31.264)
is a semicolon. And the semicolon I think is pretty unique. I had considered one.
Teri Anderson (14:43.084)
And I still might do that. I'm going to have to find a unique way to deal to do that. But the semi-colon basically says, my story is not over. This woman is saying, it seems odd, but I distinctly remember reading a book about. What the hell? That's a totally different one.
Teri Anderson (15:06.082)
the semicolon, a lot of times is saying to remember every time I wanted to give up.
Teri Anderson (15:16.852)
every time I almost gave up and even when I tried to that I got through everything that had happened. Not only was it difficult but I experienced it as a child. It's a constant reminder to keep fighting and never forget what's brought me where I am now.
Teri Anderson (15:45.55)
And that is the semicolon.
Teri Anderson (16:00.696)
The semicolon.
And you're going to see that on a lot, mainly women. I've seen it on women more than I have seen it on men.
There are a lot of different tattoos that symbolize trauma or what people have gone through in their lives and trying to be the better person, trying to understand, trying to...
Teri Anderson (16:32.916)
Almost we have felt invisible for so long. We're not going to be invisible anymore. We felt forgotten.
Teri Anderson (16:45.056)
in ways that think few people can understand.
Teri Anderson (16:53.262)
So this person was talking about, they remembered reading a book about forests and forest fires when they were a child and learning how the ecosystem recovered after a fire.
I read that some trees' would only successfully plant and germinate after a large fire hot enough to open whatever structure the tree used to contain its seeds.
Teri Anderson (17:34.4)
And as a little bit of a, you know, that just reminded me of something. I was on a motorcycle one day with, we do this run. My friend Brian holds it every year. It's the St. Helens Memorial Motorcycle Run.
And one thing that really struck me on the first time, one of the first times I went up was the devastation.
that was caused in 1980 by this volcanic eruption that took many lives and left miles and miles of damage.
In between the burnt trees, they're still out there charred 40 something years later. There's new growth. There are flowers. There's beauty.
And I think that really speaks to why some people choose to get forests, trees.
Teri Anderson (18:41.516)
because there is that regrowth after a fire that has burned us to the ground.
Teri Anderson (19:22.796)
And I think we see that here in this person's tattoo. I'm trying to move this to see and it's not quite doing it right.
It's a bear tree, but the roots are deep and there are new branches on it, which is such a symbol of hope and recovery. I think it's really beautiful. I had never really thought of that before with forests and trees.
I think I'll be looking at them in much different way now. Now this one is very unique and I like the way this woman put this and I just lost my screen.
Okay.
Teri Anderson (20:18.498)
She has a birdcage. The birdcage directly over my heart represents the trauma I suffered as a child. It's all in gray tone, representing a lack of joy. The bird holding her own key in her beak and the colors of purple and blue has escaped the cage.
She flies freely away from her prison. The lettering says, love gives her wings, which means that only love can heal the pain of childhood trauma. Self-love.
I wear this tattoo proudly because it reminds me of what I have endured.
Teri Anderson (21:13.098)
and how I not only survived and how I not only survived, but I learned to thrive.
Teri Anderson (21:31.768)
So here we have her tattoo. And I think it's interesting, the cage that she has is on gray, gray and black. And the bird does indeed have the key in its beak. This is very unique.
and it reminds me of things that I too.
I've written about.
Teri Anderson (22:04.152)
That's, that's, well, that's really putting yourself out there and telling that story, isn't it?
Teri Anderson (22:19.916)
And there's, there, a lot of people use script, a passage.
From a favorite book, from a movie, something that you've written, something someone else has written, a friend of mine.
Teri Anderson (22:38.85)
had a tattoo that I think was one of the most meaningful tattoos I've ever seen.
She was on her way. I may not remember the story correctly, but she and her sister who had cancer were on the way to the doctor. And the sister took a pen, the sister that had the cancer, and wrote a little smiley face, drew a smiley face on my friend's hand. I think it's like right in here. Immediately, she knew she was, she already knew she was losing her sister.
They went to a tattoo salon, a tattoo shop, tattoo parlor. I don't know what they're called now. Studio, tattoo studio. And she had that smiley face that her sister had drawn, tattooed. So she's carrying a piece of her sister wherever she goes. And that's a reminder of their relationship and how strong it was.
Teri Anderson (23:44.364)
Now this tattoo is a reminder for all of their...
Attempts not to live, their father's death for the same reason, and many years of sexual abuse. She says, I'm still here because I have purpose. I'm still living despite all that was done to me.
Teri Anderson (24:21.646)
and this is a bit hard to read, and there you are living despite it all.
Teri Anderson (24:33.016)
So if you see people, if you see a passage, if you see script, they are really trying to invade this message. They are very aware of what they're saying. When I first started with My Ink, I was not aware of what I was saying. I was not aware that what I was doing was speaking to something that was buried deep inside of me.
Teri Anderson (24:59.416)
So if you see script, you'll know exactly.
what that is.
Teri Anderson (25:09.984)
This is another one I think is really unique and
Teri Anderson (25:19.502)
I think this is just really such a cool idea.
Teri Anderson (25:32.096)
of the balloons, the girl, the little girl holding a bunch of balloons with some drifting away. My tattoo symbolizes the hold my past has on me every so often, though I managed to let go a little, is the balloons that are floating off. At the same time, I wouldn't want to let go of everything because my past
is my life lessons, my life story, my personality, which keeps me floating. Wow, you know, this is crazy because...
I am pretty much feeling, I'm looking at these incredible realizations that these people have made. And I'm sort of feeling like.
Whoa, I didn't put that much thought into a lot of my trauma tattoos that these people have. I'm assuming they had gone through some type of therapy before and really had a vision of what they were wanting to convey and what they wanted to tell the world. Memorial tattoos, I think, are very common. My son, my eldest son, when...
My second grandson died, went and got an absolutely beautiful tattoo that had the date of his birth, the date of his death and his name.
Teri Anderson (27:11.104)
So this one, this girl is speaking of, no, it's not a girl.
Teri Anderson (27:18.36)
This person is speaking.
Teri Anderson (27:38.072)
See?
This person is saying, telling the story when their dad was killed when they were a child.
And a few years ago, I had initially had a rose tattoo in loving memory of my father on my shoulder. Then I had a full sleeve and added roses with the quote, death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal. And it's a great reminder, he says about his father, but also to others that have.
that he is lost that have been close to him.
So I think, you know, out of all of the trauma surviving tattoos.
Teri Anderson (28:29.332)
The memorial ones are the ones that are most easily understood by, you know, I don't know how to say it, like maybe the unsuspecting or the unknowledgeable public at large. They don't have tattoos that haven't gone through trauma or have dealt with trauma in different manners. And what I'm seeing with this tattoo is he first, he's saying this was done in pieces. He had first had a rose and in loving memory. And then he went on.
which is telling me he was still in the grieving process. The first part of it was probably that initial shock. My dad is gone. I know many of you, as well as myself, know that feeling. My dad is gone and it is overwhelming. And then it seems like he continued the tattoo because his grieving when he got this wasn't yet complete.
I don't know if we ever really complete.
Teri Anderson (29:36.428)
Was I even sharing that?
Teri Anderson (29:47.414)
and loving memory of my father.
1958 to 1993. Yeah, I don't know if the healing from the trauma that we've gone through has ever really complete the grief of losing people we love. I just, you know, that's a hard topic.
Teri Anderson (30:14.638)
We'll go on to the next one. this woman is saying, growing up in a toxic environment, I've been having to adapt to all of my surroundings. The lotus flower represents someone who is able to thrive in every environment they're put in. Even if it's deep in the mud, I will still thrive.
Teri Anderson (30:44.694)
It's really a beautiful tattoo. It's a very beautiful tattoo.
Teri Anderson (31:00.574)
Let me share the screen with you for this one as I read it.
This woman, Amanda, says it's almost done. I still have to add color. This tattoo represents the three main characters I created to survive abuse and oppression. The female night.
Teri Anderson (31:28.864)
Leonie and the horse's bay and the dragon. I'm currently working on writing the novels of their adventures. So she really has gone into this.
Teri Anderson (31:44.522)
and has a lot invested in telling her story. And I don't know if you can see, there's another one right here. I wish I could see what it was, but whoa, that's some pain to get through. that's a conversation starter, which is also very healing for us when people ask us, what does that mean?
Teri Anderson (32:09.526)
Now this girl got Celine Dion's autograph on her arm. She met her and this was her actual autograph, sort of like my friend, I think.
Teri Anderson (32:31.79)
Celine has been my safe place since I was bullied, a bullied teen in high school. Now on my healing journey from trauma and PTSD, she's what I end every session of EMDR with. She's the only thing that calms me and brings me joy. So that is, she's saying is Celine Dion's actual autograph.
Teri Anderson (33:13.614)
Then we have, this one's very unusual. I really like the concept of this.
This person has a tattered open door on each wrist.
when the thunderstorms of life come rolling in your front and back doors open so your troubles cannot find a home.
Teri Anderson (33:41.782)
I have a tattered open door on each of my wrists. When the thunderstorms of life come rolling in, keep your front and back doors open so that your troubles cannot find a home. Christopher says,
Teri Anderson (34:03.2)
It's a daily reminder to him that he doesn't have to take on everyone's problems as his own and that this as well as everything and that this as with everything too shall pass.
Teri Anderson (34:22.88)
I really like the meaning of a lot of these. They're, like I said, these people put a lot of thought into, no, do have some, I'm feeling, got to be a little defensive here. I do have some tattoos that are very thought out and very, very meaningful. And we're going to go into that in the next episode.
but I just wanted to give you guys some symbols in this one of things that people, things that you'll be able to, I guess understand if you see them on someone, obviously these are very unique. So when you look at tattoos, some of us, mean, I don't have a lot of real estate left. And.
But there are stories and all of the tattoos that I have seen that are just so incredible. This person's tattoo represents their childhood sexual, their, okay, let's share the screen because I can't see that.
Teri Anderson (35:33.646)
Theresa says, my tattoo represents my childhood essay and healing from that. I was always mocked for being an emotional kid, hence the crybaby. Also the Melanie Martinez song resonates with me. And the semicolon for many years of self-harm.
Teri Anderson (36:03.963)
guys this is real stuff I tell you this is legit trauma is legit
Teri Anderson (36:16.174)
Then you're see a lot of people that have a compass. And this person is saying that this compass, let's get back to screen share.
Teri Anderson (36:32.162)
This compass from the album art for the song invincible by Headley. I got this tattoo on my 18th birthday. I struggled a lot at first. I struggled a lot with at first physical abuse. Then as I got older, it turned into mental and verbal abuse. I had a lot of pressure placed on me through my school years. Or I had to be the highest academic.
I had to excel in sports and get the student of the year every year. On top of that, I had to be strong because I have four younger siblings. I've made a lot of mistakes by letting them take away my power. I've lost parts of myself, but as I get older, I regained all my missing pieces and mended my broken pieces.
So heartless, so selfish, so in darkness.
When all your nights are starless, you're running out of hope. But I found the strength inside to see. Found the better part of me, and I'll never let it go.
Teri Anderson (37:58.126)
You know, I see compasses on a lot of people and I had never really put that together with being that, with that meaning.
Teri Anderson (38:11.596)
I know we're gonna get back to the Phoenix, the girl, she says her tattoo is impossible to take a photo of a hole, but it's a phoenix hugging me with its wings.
Teri Anderson (38:30.86)
I went through a lot from early childhood. The phoenix stands for always getting up and being reborn more strongly after every failure or every bad experience and learning from it. I made it pink to symbolize the girl power and women being strong with getting out of toxic or violent situations.
Teri Anderson (39:02.508)
Now there's a woman that is in the trauma.
There's an author in the trauma world, Brene Brown.
in one of her books is called Daring Greatly. Daring Greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen, to ask for what you need, to talk about how you're feeling, to have the hard conversations.
Teri Anderson (39:41.024)
It's a quote from Brene Brown. My tattoo also has a semicolon as a reminder that I survived. I'm here and I need to keep going. It's not over. So I will dare greatly. That's really sweet.
Teri Anderson (40:08.376)
This next one is Text as Well script set free because I am set free.
Teri Anderson (40:26.082)
because I am set free from the struggles I had in the past. I am in no way fully recovered, but I'm set free from what held me back.
Teri Anderson (40:46.914)
Here's a very, there one, this one I find very interesting.
It's it's, this person got a molecule of serotonin. I got a serotonin molecule because it's released in the act of.
Teri Anderson (41:10.572)
this right there, which I can't say. I got this as a reminder that I don't have to hurt myself to be happy. There has been a major lack of stability in my life growing up. So I turned to some pretty unfortunate coping mechanisms. That word always gets me, but I'm trying so hard to move forward and focus on being a victor and not a victim.
I think that's really cool. Man, you know, these people put some thought into their stuff and I'm just like giving my arm to my tattoo artist saying, here, help. I got to hand it to these people. This is pretty cool. All right, this tattoo that this girl named Brittany got is what keeps her grounded when times get tough.
I've gone through what I've gone through and I've come out on the other side with a badge of resilience.
Teri Anderson (42:19.84)
I am a survivor, a witness, a warrior. My experiences have changed me, but that doesn't mean they have to define me. I like that. My experiences change me, but that doesn't mean they have to define me. Wow. I'm learning every single day. Good for her. That is pretty awesome.
This next one is, I got this to remind me that I have the power to be free by doing the thing I love most. I'm a screenwriter because I've always felt trapped because of the essay right there. I never told anyone, but now I can face it.
Good for them, I wrote my own deliverance. I like that.
Teri Anderson (43:13.602)
This one is absolutely beautiful.
Teri Anderson (43:19.138)
This person, Allison, was physically and mentally abused by sisters growing up.
That is hard for me to read.
because of my son Joshua. He was physically and mentally abused by his siblings. I found out and that just crushes me.
But she says because of what she went through, she grew up with no self-esteem, no confidence, depression, general anxiety, social anxiety disorder, body dysmorphia, and panic disorder. It's been a long road to recovery. I do what I have to for my peace of mind.
Okay, she got that on her foot. I have to tell you from experience, you get tattoo on your foot, you're going to feel it. That hurts. That was probably one of my most, that was probably my second most painful tattoo.
Teri Anderson (44:25.1)
This person has script on her arms. It's really, it's actually very beautiful. My tattoo says now I am a warrior.
This reminds me how far I've come.
Teri Anderson (44:40.384)
in my mental health journey. It also gives me strength. It reminds me that I'll continue to get through this journey. I've been through a lot, but I've always come out a warrior in the end.
nice
Teri Anderson (45:08.598)
I hope this is screen sharing. My thing says it's...
Teri Anderson (45:22.606)
You know, computers.
Teri Anderson (45:29.422)
Let's see if there's some more on here I wanted to share with you.
Teri Anderson (45:39.214)
All right, and I'm glad that that's the end of this article and I'm glad that they put this at the end.
Teri Anderson (45:53.07)
If you or a loved one is affected by sexual abuse or assault and need help, call the hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to be connected with a trained staff member.
service provider in your area. You know, it's, it's, it's for each of these stories I hurt for these people.
Teri Anderson (46:22.638)
I can identify with them, we're like a group, we're a community.
But each story is so painful on its own. I think being in the situation that I am in and knowing the pain that I went through, the things that I went through and how I coped and did not cope with them well, these have all the more.
significance to me. So here's one I've seen a couple of times and it is
Teri Anderson (46:59.775)
This is self-love basically. The heart with self-love.
Teri Anderson (47:22.284)
All right, before we get back into this, I'm going to share a few things from the tattoo monologues, but tattoos are a creative way of expressing yourself. They allow you, as I said earlier, to reclaim your body, to make it truly yours again. Every time you look at your tattoo, you're reminded of your strength, your resilience, and your victory over trauma. It's like a motivational speech.
without the cheesy lines and the overly enthusiastic speaker.
Teri Anderson (48:02.382)
It's really funny.
Teri Anderson (48:11.774)
know, anchor tattoos show that they're anchored, that they're safe from the storm. Then you have the butterfly tattoos.
that I can identify with and I do have a butterfly or two on me. They're pretty, they're graceful.
and they're the ultimate symbol of transformation. A butterfly tattoo is like a tribute to your personal metamorphosis, your journey from caterpillar pre-trauma to a butterfly post-trauma. It's like saying, yeah, I went through some tough times, but look at me now, I'm flying high. It's really kind of cool. I don't think I shared that.
Teri Anderson (49:11.256)
There are those beautiful, very delicate little butterflies.
A heartbeat tattoo because you're a survivor. Yes.
Teri Anderson (49:28.3)
The dragon tattoo unleashed your inner fire.
The feather tattoo, fly high, free spirit. I don't have any feathers. I'm not really sure why.
The rose, this was really hard for me to look at. I do have roses on me.
Teri Anderson (49:50.954)
Some of you know, probably a lot of you don't know the story of my son that I lost to the city of Portland and his mental illnesses. Joshua always had a fascination with long-stemmed roses. Generally, in his drawings, in his writings, he was speaking of one rose. I couldn't really figure out what that meaning was to him, why he was so fascinated with roses.
Teri Anderson (50:24.589)
And I think this sort of says it. Roses are beautiful, but they come with thorns. Sounds a lot like life, doesn't it? A rose tattoo can represent love, hope and new beginnings. It's a reminder that you bloom despite the thorns and that you found beauty in adversity. So I think with Joshua, with his
interest his fascination with roses his was more along the terms of I know I'm a beautiful delicate
creation.
But don't get too close because I have thorns and he did. It was really, it was difficult.
Teri Anderson (51:36.886)
Okay. I wanted to tell you a little bit about this, what things that I found in this book that I found really interesting. And I, I really suggest you getting this book.
Teri Anderson (51:58.754)
Ladylike tattoo monologues.
it again. You can see I have places marked in here and I don't want to
Teri Anderson (52:13.41)
do anything but really sort of let you know some of the quotes that I found in here.
Teri Anderson (52:22.966)
And I like, I like this, the way it's stated because, you know, sometimes I can say things in a way that makes sense. Sometimes they don't quite make sense, but this, how do tattoos relate to trauma? Trauma leaves a sudden irrevocable.
Teri Anderson (52:44.212)
It leaves sudden, irrevocable marks on the brain, body, mind, and spirit. These permanent traumatic imprints create a profound sense of loneliness. They cause the trauma survivor to feel detached and alienated from themselves and from others. They shatter the individual fundamental understanding of safety. If you're a trauma survivor,
I think you could probably identify with that because we do, we feel alone. Nothing around us is safe. It's almost, you know, I I don't want to say it's like walking on eggshells because it's not, it's to me, it's sort of like walking blindfolded through a field of glass and you don't know where to step because things come at you from every way and you really can't.
It's really, it's a hard walk. It's a hard walk. And this person was talking about, and again, this is from Tattoo Monologues. And I feel this a lot.
The artist poured into a small plastic cup, removed a clean needle from a sealed package, and turned on the tattoo machine. The incessant buzzing instantly provoked fear, excitement, and anticipation.
He pressed the needle into my skin. It hurt. But I knew after the pain had subsided, a symbolic piece of my narrative would be left behind and the symbol would forever be a part of me.
Teri Anderson (54:39.202)
This book's just amazing. There's one.
A quote about motherless daughters. To all the motherless daughters out there, may your heartache serve you in the best of ways. May your grief give you a better understanding of yourself. May your sentiment allow you to express and create, and may your love expand beyond what you ever thought was possible. And that's a quote by Keiko.
to Maki.
This book is so cool because it goes to a lot of, it goes to a lot of feelings that I think most of us as trauma survivors have felt. Betrayal. my gosh, betrayal is just, it's so ingrained and it's so, it's so real. It's so real.
Teri Anderson (55:44.972)
dejection.
Teri Anderson (55:53.602)
This is a quote by Judith Lewis Herman, the conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them out loud.
is a central dialect of psychological trauma.
Teri Anderson (56:14.796)
Well.
Yeah. I think a lot of the things that we feel and a of things that happened to us, we're ashamed of. People either talked us into being ashamed or it was just this natural shame that comes with a lot of things that happened to you. And you're like, why wasn't I strong enough?
But what we have to remember is we're speaking as that five or six year old child. Would you expect a five or six year old child, seven, eight, nine year old child to be able to stand up to authority or anyone for that matter and take care of themselves? I...
I think that is what.
Teri Anderson (57:06.72)
is so profound about this quote. The conflict between the will to deny horrible events and the will to proclaim them aloud is essential dialect of psychological trauma.
Teri Anderson (57:29.869)
You
Teri Anderson (57:38.368)
I'm not gonna do this book justice. I'm going to read to you some of the feelings here, the chapters.
Maybe you can get a little bit of an idea of some of the things that trauma survivors deal with and some of the ways we're trying to either say, this is my body, I'll do what I want. Some of it is a very stubbornness to say, stay away from me.
Stay away from me. Some of it is to reclaim control over our own lives when we feel we have no control at all.
some of it's to commemorate, some of it's to inspire. I have, I don't know if you're gonna be able to see it here or not.
This script here, I tried to it the other day and it didn't show, but I went in and I remember it was at the time where my life was just falling to pieces. It was completely falling apart.
Teri Anderson (58:52.384)
I had been put on some really horrible medication for a very wrong diagnosis that really spun me out of control. And all I wanted to do is what this says, live, laugh, love, and dream.
But this book, it hurts to look at this as a trauma survivor and know that there are other people. That's kind of hard to say. It hurts to know that there are other people out there, but it also is sort of comforting to know that I am not alone in a lot of the struggles that I had. But the contents here, against all odds, betrayal, dejection.
Reclaimed the gift guardian angel recovering rescues rescued. She's got my back. The slide hope in a dragonfly. love dragonfly tattoos. I would love to have one forgiveness pink dress tic tac motherless. That stings. That stings.
Protection abandoned.
Teri Anderson (01:00:11.116)
and teardrops.
Teri Anderson (01:00:16.408)
So guess really the purpose of this episode...
Teri Anderson (01:00:35.298)
I guess the purpose of this episode was for those of you.
Teri Anderson (01:00:43.96)
to see people and immediately judge.
to give you a little understanding that a lot of us are crying out. And for those of you that are tattooed to realize you're not alone, you're not alone. I now know that the sleeves, they did several things for me, but I think...
one of the things, look, they're black and gray.
One of the things I think now that I'm coming to understand is to stay away, to keep your distance.
Because in my life to be close to anyone means devastation is going to occur.
Teri Anderson (01:01:40.396)
And I'm not really sure how.
Teri Anderson (01:01:47.054)
Other people see me. I've only had one derogatory comment
Teri Anderson (01:01:53.902)
Oh, you know what I wanted to do?
Teri Anderson (01:01:59.596)
I want to do an unofficial, this is not sponsored, but I wanted to tell you about this girl. She's in Portland, her name is Haley, and the name of her company is Nightwork Candle.
I don't think you can see the candle that I have back there burning, but she has the most beautiful candles. This one I just ordered. It's a new fragrance that she has, a new aroma. It's called Gigi Moved to Paris, Texas. I love that because as a Texan, I know where Paris, Texas is. The smell is delightful. I I met her a couple of years ago and I have bought probably close to
to 100 candles of hers. They're unique, they're beautiful. And they're just like Hailey. So I'm gonna leave her link in the show notes below as well because I just wanna give her a shout out. This girl, she's just, she's awesome. She's absolutely awesome.
Teri Anderson (01:03:29.41)
The saying beauty is only skin deep.
Teri Anderson (01:03:38.232)
comes to mind here.
Teri Anderson (01:03:42.732)
I think there's a lot of beauty within us that has had to be closed off for one reason or another. And it seems like with every discovery that we make along the way, every box that's opened, sometimes we can deal with it and sometimes we can't. Sometimes we cope. I am really thankful that I no longer use anything sharp.
that I am, that part of me is gone. I have been through so much therapy and my tattoos were a big part of my therapy. So I just want to encourage you when you see someone that's tattooed.
Teri Anderson (01:04:28.098)
Look at their tattoo and think, what have they been through? What have they been through? And maybe give them a little grace.
Teri Anderson (01:04:44.632)
So let me say goodbye.
on that note and I am going to hopefully get
you guys leave some comments. I, I was so, I was so blown away by the comments you all left and the messages I received from the last episode of the tattoos and trauma. I was blown away.
it
Teri Anderson (01:05:23.118)
people were so encouraging. I think they were coming together as they had found a group.
Teri Anderson (01:05:32.746)
And there's, it's just, to me, it was very meaningful that I was able to touch upon a topic that people really could resonate with and say, my gosh. my gosh. That makes sense.
All right guys, so with that thought, I'll see you real soon.
Esoteric Tattoo: https://g.co/kgs/nE2RkWk https://themighty.com/topic/mental-health/childhood-trauma-tattoos/ Tattoo Monologues: https://www.amazon.com/Tattoo-Monologues-Indelible-Marks-Body-Soul/dp/1647423112/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NOPE2BQP1ZQ9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-GUKXnebwUZFCcDMI3Qbsw.IsCsmLyQ5H3bN9J6-Lb1jXE5ge5vtyKyKrIBzl7nVxM&dib_tag=se&keywords=tattoo+monologues&qid=1745033350&sprefix=tattoo+mono%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1 Teri Anderson The Tattooed Biker Chick Digging Through Dominoes
Tattoos as Expressions of Trauma: Many trauma survivors use tattoos to reclaim their bodies, identities, and narratives, turning pain into visible, meaningful art.
Not All Tattoos Stem from Trauma: While not every tattoo is rooted in pain, those discussed in this episode specifically represent survival, healing, and emotional resilience.
Symbolic Tattoo Themes: Common motifs among trauma tattoos include the phoenix (rebirth), semicolon (survival and continuation), forests/trees (regrowth), birdcages (freedom from abuse), and balloons (letting go).
Script and Personal Messages: Words, quotes, and phrases are often tattooed to serve as affirmations or reminders of a survivor's strength and journey.
Memorial Tattoos: Many people honor lost loved ones with tattoos that symbolize grief, love, and remembrance—these are some of the most universally understood trauma tattoos.
Creative Representations: Survivors sometimes invent characters or stories—like fantasy figures or symbolic animals—to express their inner struggles and healing journeys.
Celebrities and Healing Anchors: Tattoos can also commemorate people or influences, like a celebrity or song, that brought comfort during hard times (e.g., Celine Dion’s autograph as a source of peace).
Awareness Through Design: Designs like serotonin molecules, anchors, butterflies, roses, hearts, and compasses are often chosen for their deeper psychological and emotional meanings.
Tattoos and Therapeutic Growth: Many trauma tattoos reflect a personal evolution, often tied to therapy, self-love, empowerment, and the desire to be seen and validated.
The Book “Tattoo Monologues”: The host references and recommends this book, emphasizing how trauma leaves lasting mental and emotional marks, and tattoos can serve as a powerful tool in processing and expressing those wounds.