ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a method informed by neurobiology that uses art therapy as the principal means of processing traumatic events. In the 20th century, trauma was hidden for several additional reasons. People had been given the message, both overtly and covertly, that one does not talk about it. In addition, society generally denied that children could be maltreated in their own families. There are two major parts to their theory the consequences of humans having a dual brain at birth and the universality of the Instinctual Trauma Response. Tinnin and Gantt postulate a universal response to trauma based on the hard wiring of the human brain that they call the Instinctual Trauma Response (ITR). It consists of a sequence of reactions when one is facing a life-or-death situation. The multiple incidents of domestic violence with her abuser were treated as chapter stories within a single graphic narrative. Laura used grounding exercises throughout the process, as flashbacks of her torture increased slightly.
