What is Somatic Tattoo Therapy? Charlotte is on an academic journey towards becoming a licensed mental health therapist; she dreams of becoming a tattoo therapist. Tattoo therapy is not a new phrase by any means, and she seeks to bring the truth of this statement into an explicit understanding that can be shared; tattoos are healing to so many people for so many reasons; tattooing is a space where we can be in healing together. By educating herself on cultivating positive mental health in a trauma informed, resiliency oriented, pleasure welcoming, somatic experiencing, white supremacy rejecting and patriarchy crushing sort of way, she believes the release and relief that comes with getting a tattoo can go even deeper. That deep place is where we’re going on the somatic tattoo therapy adventure.
Charlotte has completed, along with her sister in ink Meredith, the course Growing Resilience, Being Trauma Informed, offered by the The Everything Space in order to further this mission. Through diving headfirst into somatic sensing of the self and being immersed in discovering the wisdom of the body, there has been a passionate shift in what the idea of tattoo therapy could look like. Charlotte has also been a dancer for two years at River’s Way and has discovered what intuitive dance and community can do for a body that’s disconnected and how these things can bring us to a place of feeling a divine centeredness that’s an act of resistance in and of itself when we’re living under an individualistic societal nightmare.
Involvement in her rank-and-file labor union has irreversibly kindled the fire of solidarity and fight in Charlotte. She strives to bring the hope and spirit of the resistance that’s so strong in the labor movement to individuals who may not have had the experience of being part of a movement larger than themselves; a movement that’s tirelessly striving for good every day. You may ask what labor unions have to do with therapy, and the answer would involve community, justice, and real tangible change. One thing that so many people feel in the face of the reality we live in now is helplessness. The labor movement is a shining example of how people, when we work together, are never helpless and there’s always something a rebellious soul can do in the face of injustice. Wellbeing, hope, and strength are all things that are held up as goals in the mental health field, but the reality is that under capitalism those things can be hard to find by yourself. But you are not alone, and we have much to learn about what solidarity can do by looking to the labor movement.
