LINDA DAMON, PhD
I have worked with children who have experienced abuse or neglect for many years and have seen the toll it has taken on their minds and their bodies. Trauma has a severe impact on the brain. Many cells record memories of the abuse, and the brain and the body respond to the triggers of the traumatic events. The children don’t have words to express their emotions and thus act out in destructive ways at home or school, triggered by whatever they perceive as a threat to them. I see their fear when they have a tantrum in the office or refuse to talk because they don’t have the words to express how they feel. They have to always be careful of whom they talk to because they might end up in Foster Care. I see fear in the people at demonstrations where there is violence. I feel fear when a police car approaches behind me and wonder what a black person might feel. I fear that I will catch Covid-19 and therefore stay inside my house, grateful that I at least have the means and a place to live so that I can survive the pandemic.
Sensations of the Mind
(Acrylics and Collage on Canvas, 30” x 40”)
We’re all humans, in spite of our differences in the color of our skin, our gender and sexuality, our nationality or our resources. Our brains are fashioned in the same ways and we all have the same cells that record our history. My painting reflects the commonality between us in spite of our differences. While painting this, I felt a sense of peace and oneness with the universe of people all around me. I felt of sense of being united for a short period of time before I went back to viewing the news and was again reminded of the scary world outside.