Artful Healing: The Intersection of Tattoo Artistry and Trauma-Informed Care

Attention and research on the effects of physical and psychological trauma have increased over the past several decades, resulting in an uptick in the use of trauma-informed care practices. Trauma-informed care focuses on recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma and integrating knowledge about treatment into policies, procedures, and practices to avoid re-traumatization.

Trauma-informed care is not reserved for clinical settings, with many innovative trauma-informed practices showing up in yoga studios, photography studios, and even tattoo studios. The public perception of tattoos, specifically, is shifting from viewing tattoos as an act of deviance and rebellion to a practice of self-expression and healing, with many tattoo studios emerging as spaces of safety and body acceptance.

For survivors of human trafficking, folks in recovery from substance use, former gang members, and survivors of abuse or sexual exploitation, scars and tattoos received during a distressing time or forced on them against their will can be a painful reminder of their traumatic past. Non-profit work is emerging in this space, as well, with organizations like Atlanta Redemption Ink providing tattoo cover-ups and removals to turn marks of a traumatic past into beautiful depictions of hope and freedom.

In this month’s episode of PHPod, host Kara Schmidt sits down with Kat O’Hare, a part-time therapist at Mass Bay Counseling and a tattoo artist in Cambridge, Massachusetts who is working to bring a trauma-informed lens to her work. O’Hare spoke with PHPod about tattooing as a practice of body reclamation, the importance of trauma-informed care in this work, and how she brings patience and empathy to create empowering experiences for her clients.