Linda Litteral Announces the Release of Her Memoir Show and Tell: Healing From Trauma Through Art
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Diego California: Linda Litteral is proud to offer her debut work Show and Tell: Healing from Trauma Through Art available at Empress Press and Amazon on Jan 24, 2023.
Show and Tell is the story of Linda Litteral who is a survivor of incest and rape who used art to heal from the destruction to the body and spirit which comes from physical and sexual abuse. In this courageous memoir, Litteral shares the story of her abuse, spanning eight years of incest perpetrated by her grandfather, a rape she experienced in high school, and physical and verbal violence she suffered at the hands of her first husband. She offers an in-depth psychological profile of the effects of abuse, including silence, shame, invisibility, powerlessness, guilt, and difficulties with trust and identity. She also illustrates how the body remembers abuse through symptomatology like dissociation, anxiety, chronic illness, and other post-traumatic stress responses
Show and Tell by Linda Gail Litteral
Yet Litteral has done more than survive her past—she’s found a way to thrive in the present. She generously catalogs all the healing modalities she has experienced in her decades of undoing the destruction of her past, including talk therapy, meditation, yoga, breathwork, Tai Chi, and somatic-based therapies like acupuncture, EMDR, sacral cranial therapy, and Thought Field Therapy. But it’s when Litteral discovers the power of creating and sharing her art that her healing journey begins in earnest. Accompanied by rich full-color images of her art in every chapter, Litteral shares stories about the creation of her pieces, their stunning symbology, and how they aided in her healing journey. Litteral is both an artist and an activist, a fierce champion for survivors, and an unabashed advocate for the healing power of art. Jennifer Leigh-Selig Author, Publisher: Empress Publications
A clear-eyed examination of life and personal trauma, this book accompanies an artist creating a healing path that cuts directly through pain to build a fulfilling life of generosity and truth. Using her intuition and creativity in navigating and challenging the forces that often pull one towards suffering or despair, Litteral chooses a journey that eventually leads to developing a new language and a new creative purpose. With a spirit of openness and exploration she manages to speak to and nurture the artist she has always been.
There are many important lessons for all of us in Litteral’s self-revelatory journey. One of which is the power of listening to and accepting your own story and the transformative power that comes with pursuing and using your own voice.
Lynn Susholtz, Artist, Gallery Owner: Art Produce
Image pictured above: What, stoneware, 5” x 3” x 9”, 2021