Childhood trauma can cast a long shadow, but artist Piiij Goodrem found a powerful path to healing through self-portraits and therapy. From a young age, Piiij learned to suppress painful memories and emotions. As she explains, "I was brought up in a way that really indicated to me that the best way to deal with something is to sweep it away, not bring it up. Appearances mattered." This coping mechanism, however, set the stage for a difficult journey ahead.
Now in her 30s, Piiij is courageously sharing her story. She reveals, "I was assaulted quite young and there were several instances throughout my teen years. I wasn't heard or supported in the ways that I needed to be, which meant that I just bottled everything up and I didn't talk about anything."
Seeking help in her 20s, Piiij turned to therapy, encouraged by her sister. While it proved to be a turning point, the initial process was emotionally and financially taxing. "It just felt very hard and scary and wrong," she recalls. "I would be full-blown sobbing, a convulsing body cry, if I tried to talk about anything when I first started."
But here's where it gets controversial... It was through the creation of self-portraits that Piiij truly began to reconnect with her body and reclaim her boundaries. "It was very much a series that was about looking through my history and my trauma and trying to find safety and a home within my body," she says. The honesty in her art was crucial. "It's very hyper detailed and I’ve put a lot of stretch marks and cellulite and all this texture within my body in all these images," she explains.
In one of her digital drawings, titled 'Holding,' orchids and their roots embrace her back. "It's like they’re growing out of my back like wings," she describes. "It was about learning to hold myself gently and be kind, because I’m really bad at that."
And this is the part most people miss... This deep dive into art, inspired by the natural world of tropical Darwin, also played a key role in overcoming her dependence on alcohol. Piiij admits, "[I was] a full-blown alcoholic, couple of bottles of wine a night, any night of the week, let alone if I was being social and then it was even more. It was just really about avoiding all of the noise in my head and to just hold it together and be normal."
Now, with four years of sobriety under her belt, Piiij reflects on how losing herself in her art for hours helped her process difficult thoughts. "I'd realise that I hadn’t been thinking about drinking," she says. "The most valuable thing for me has been making art and having an outlet that brings light instead of pulling me back into the darkness."
It's a stark reality that those who experience childhood trauma often feel isolated and unable to share their experiences, which can hinder recovery. For a long time, Piiij, and those around her, feared she wouldn't reach her 30s. "Maybe only about three or four years ago, I hit the point where I was like: 'Actually I think I do want to live'," she says. "I do want to give it a real hot shot and not just be existing, I would like to hit a point where I'm thriving."
Today, Piiij has transformed her artistic escape into a side business. Her message to others is clear: "Find something that's constructive, that is nourishing and gives you that dopamine and feeling of contentment but isn't leading to any kind of self-destruction."
What do you think about Piiij's journey? Do you agree that art can be a powerful tool for healing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
