Using Art to Heal from Self Harm & Deep Trauma | Maggie Parr

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Summary:

Over decades, Maggie learned that creativity wasn’t just therapeutic—it was sacred. As both artist and survivor, she discovered that the act of making art mirrors the same energy she once channeled through self-harm: ritual, intensity, spiritual release. What once came through the blade now pours through the brush.

This powerful shift didn’t come from textbooks. It came from lived experience—and a willingness to meet the parts of herself she had once tried to silence. “The wound holds the answer,” Maggie says. “By going into the wound, and making something beautiful from it, I was channeling spirit energy to heal.”

But her story isn’t just about healing. It’s about reclaiming creativity as a tool for thriving.

“You don’t have to be an artist,” she insists. “Creativity is our birthright. Anyone can draw. Anyone can feel the joy of color or form or movement. It’s about giving yourself permission.”

Maggie’s message is especially vital for midlife women, many of whom carry the misconception that self-harm is something only teenagers face. In reality, it’s a hidden struggle across all ages, genders, and cultures. Maggie knows this firsthand: she relapsed in her 40s during a painful divorce, and discovered a deep silence in the resources available for older women. Her decision to speak out—and write The Creator’s Guide to Stopping Self-Harm—was a radical act of visibility.

What makes Maggie’s work so powerful is the way she links creativity with wholeness. In her personal rituals—whether painting to music, layering red into her canvases, or letting her inner “Faith” paint over finished work—she teaches that art can be a conversation with the soul.

And this is where her message touches all of us: what if the part of you you’re hiding—the wound, the fear, the part that doesn’t know how to speak—is actually your creative voice calling out?

Maggie leaves us with a question that echoes long after the episode ends:

“What is your wound trying to say?”

Because sometimes healing doesn’t come through words. Sometimes it comes through color. Through texture. Through movement. Through giving ourselves the freedom to feel what we’re not ready to name.

And in that sacred act of creation—we begin to come home to ourselves.

^{Maggie Parr}

_{Artist Maggie Parr’s four-decade journey to heal from self-harm led her to write A Creator’s Guide to Stopping Self-Harm, a profound approach to overcoming self-injury through creativity and self-discovery.}

_{A unique blend of personal memoir, psychological insight, and creative therapy, this book is a powerful resource for both those affected by self-injury and the professionals who support them. Combining the essence of The Artist’s Way with the depth of The Body Keeps the Score, it provides a transformative manual for healing.}

_{Maggie has designed theme park attractions, painted murals and portraits, and written and illustrated books and comics. For over three decades, art making has also helped her recover from many forms of self-harming, and she now teaches others how to use creativity to break through blocks and achieve self-actualization.}

 

^{Website: https://maggieparr.com/
Your Next Step: Stopping Self Harm Resources
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