Actress, visual artist, and Keila’s dear friend Christina Elizabeth Smith is on the show to share how she’s turned her trauma into meaning. Christina talks about how she’s tied her suffering to a larger mission and how her real-life experiences as a survivor of sexual assault informed her performance on NCIS New Orleans. She shares how chanting meditations have helped her heal and process trauma, and using painting as a form of therapy. Keila and Christina also talk about the power of community, and why reaching out and not hiding yourself (especially when you’re in pain) will help you nurture yourself and heal.

Today on Crying Behind Sunglasses:

• How Christina uses painting and art as therapy
• The way Christina ties her suffering to a larger mission to make it have meaning
• The way her real-life experiences informed her performance on NCIS
• Chanting meditations to help move trauma & energy through the body
• The power of language: being a survivor vs. a victim
• Surrounding yourself with nurturing energy & being discerning in who you spend time around
• How we as a community can better support survivors of sexual assault

Follow host Keila Dolle: @keiladolle // @cryingbehindpod

Follow Christina Elizabeth Smith: @christinaelizabethsmith + @amrtaart

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month of online counseling at https://www.betterhelp.com/cryingbehindpod

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