Are there parts of you that seem broken and irreparable?
Does your trauma seem impossible?
Do you live in constant anxiety?
Do you believe that you are unfit for love?
Do you feel powerless in your life situations?
The story of Kintsugi is fascinating. A renowned Japanese shogun broke his favorite tea bowl. He was hopeful that he might be able to use this treasured object again. He sent it away for repairs. When the tea bowl was returned, the shogun was dissatisfied because the bowl was held together with drab and ugly metal staples. Undeterred, he set out for a more sophisticated solution.
He found a craftsman who wanted to try a new technique. This craftsman explained to the shogun that this new technique would not only repair the bowl, but it would also add beauty to the broken bowl. The craftsman mended the crack in the bowl with lacquer resin mixed with gold. Rather than the unsightly metal staples, the bowl now had streaks of brilliant gold in the cracked and broken places. Not only was the bowl exquisitely beautiful, the lacquer and the gold made the bowl even stronger.
Kintsugi, is the art from of “golden joinery,” or “golden repair.” This beautiful and fascinating traditional Japanese artform began as a way to repair broken pottery by mending and even highlighting the areas that were broken. Broken pottery that is repaired with the art of Kintsugi has a complex story, that is real and authentic, potent and resilient, beautiful and artistic. The time and effort that was spent, the value of gold, all add to its value.
Even though the tea bowl was broken, it was also repairable, there was hope. After the tea bowl was repaired using the art and science of Kintsugi, it was not only useful, and it was also a piece of beautiful art.
Humans can survive an incredible amount of trauma, pain, and suffering, and sometimes in that pain, they begin to believe that because they believe themselves to be broken, that they are denied the right to heal and be whole. Kintsugi is a powerful metaphor that has a psychological and emotional corollary. While the pain of trauma is powerful and real, there are many ways towards healing.
Photo by Jackson Simmer on Unsplash
- A person who seems to be broken can heal.
- There is hope for a sense of renewal.
- You have the potential for emotional healing.
- Relational healing is also possible.
- People who have suffered trauma can and do experience joy, contentment, peace, and happiness.
The healing might not look the way that you imagined it. As a trauma informed therapist, as a counselor, the art of Kintsugi aligns with my vision of therapy. I believe that we can grow from the broken and shattered stories of our life. Kintsugi, is an elegant reframe to address the pain, trauma, and heartache that can occur in life. I use a variety of techniques to help people who are hurting to repair themselves. The art of therapy is to help the client find the gold and lacquer that works uniquely for them, so that they can mend the broken places. Trauma informed therapy is a way of restoring the person to a new usefulness and beauty.
R. David Johns has a PhD in Counseling Education and Supervision, and a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) in the state of Colorado. As a counselor and therapist, he uses trauma informed practices, such as Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Mindfulness to discover each client’s unique way towards healing. Like the art of Kintsugi, this trauma informed therapy helps clients to heal and repair and find renewed beauty, grace, and empowerment.
For a free consultation or to make an appointment call 303-642-6636 or email at [email protected]
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.)
Ruth-Sahd, L. & Deibler, A. (2024). Kintsugi. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 43 (1), 36-39. doi: 10.1097/DCC.0000000000000618.
