Healing in Layers: My Story of PTSD and Painting
I live with PTSD.
Not because of a single incident, but because of things I’ve seen — and things I’ve done — that no human being should ever be exposed to.
My role in a highly classified unit in the Israeli security system left marks that can’t be seen on the outside.
They live inside me:
In constant hyper-vigilance.
In the way I never fully relax.
In the distrust, the short temper, the need to check my surroundings a thousand times.
But there is one place I can breathe: my art.
When I paint, the world becomes quieter. I feel peace, control, even safety — something PTSD rarely allows me in daily life.
How My Paintings Reflect My PTSD
I don’t paint trauma directly — I paint what it feels like to live with it.
The portrait with three overlapping versions of my face (see image below) is not just a visual: it’s how I experience myself — scattered, alert, fragmented.
The painting with the branches growing through me? That’s the slow healing. The tension between growth and memory. Between beauty and pain.
This Is For Others, Too
If you live with PTSD — military-related or not — I want you to see these paintings and know: you are not alone.
My goal is not just to create, but to connect.
I speak in workshops, I open conversations, and I welcome dialogue.
If my art speaks to something in you — reach out. Let’s talk. Let’s feel seen.
My PTSD Artworks
What inspired this series? Find out in the Inspiration page.
Explore more paintings related to trauma and memory in the Gallery.
Terms like 'trauma' and 'visual expression' are explained in the Glossary.
