My Art on the Cover of the Trauma News Letter

I am a member of Division 56 in the American Psychological Association, which is the Trauma Division, focused on research and clinical treatment of trauma and related issues. The current issue of the Trauma News Letter of Division 56 has my art work on its front cover! You can access the issue by clicking on the image below.

My interest in creative crafts and in painting has been a passion since I was a young child, and it continues to provide me with joy, and “flow “, that unique state of mind that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described, a state in which we are fully immersed in what we are doing, unaware of the passage of time. Painting and other creative projects are not only enjoyable, but also recuperative and restorative to me; they are a form of meditative, focused activity that stills the chatter and slows down the rush of life. It is also an important way of enjoying one’s own company.

Finding a way to enjoy our time by ourselves is an important aspect of resilience. The ability to be alone, yet not feel lonely, has been termed “positive solitude”.  It is particularly important when we find ourselves more alone than we would prefer to be, especially in the later years, or during a time when physical conditions, or social distancing, limit the amount of social contact we would like to have. It is important for each of us to find positive ways of being by ourselves in enjoyable ways. Engaging our creativity, in whichever form, is can be an important aspect of positive solitude.

                    Irit