Such a thorough examination of the topic.

I write often about my trauma and in my work teaching the art of live storytelling for the past 11 years, this comes up all the time.

A common phrase the live community uses is that you want to tell your story from the scar rather than the wound. You never want to bleed on stage.

One reasons is that your job is to comfort and care for your audience. When a storyteller breaks down and weeps on stage or worse... because they haven't taken your advice and fully processed the work, they implicitly ask the audience to comfort them.

For those who want to work through their trauma via art, it's something I highly recommend. Whether it's via painting, live storytelling or the written word you NEED to process what happened. Wrench meaning from the random BS plot of your life. It's invaluable.

Once it's finished, take a breath. Does it need to be shared? Give it some space before deciding and if you still feel like yes, share it with a small group before sharing it publicly.

Most times, my clients find they didn't need to tell the whole world and risk that backlash. And those who did, have processed the experience, and have built a support group in the few cases when the internet public/friends/family have outsized negative reactions.

Damn, had more to say about this topic than I thought. 😅

Thanks for starting this conversation in so many places, @Bryony Hutt