By Carla Stovall Steckline
Knitters know that peace settles upon them when they begin work on a project. The external stresses begin to fade as our concentration centers on the yarn in our laps. Our consciousness focuses on the instructions in front of us and the counting of our stitches.
But, more than this happens for trauma survivors! When a person is subjected to trauma, the right brain (emotional) experiences the events and holds onto them. The left brain (logic) freezes, it cannot make sense of what is happening. The sides disconnect from one another.
When a memory is triggered, the right brain remembers the images, smells, tastes and feelings. The left brain cannot make sense of the experience. Chaos and dissonance result.
Knitting utilizes both sides of our brain. The right side chooses a cable cardigan pattern and selects a bright orange yarn and imagines how nice it will be to wear such a hand-knit garment.
The left brain reads the pattern and determines a size 8 needle is required to knit the gauge of 22 stitches and 20 rows for a 4- inch swatch. It further comprehends, the instructions “… knit 8, purl 2, slip the next 4 stitches on the DP needle and hold at back, knit the next 4 stitches from the left needle and then the 4 stitches on the DP needle, purl 2, repeat to last 8 stitches, knit 8.” The right and left hands can begin to make an orange cabled cardigan!
Healing from trauma requires the coordination of both right and left sides of the brain to get them “unstuck” and working together again. While talk therapy and other forms of mental health treatment are important, an activity – like knitting – that involves right brain and right hand working with left brain and left hand is also critical for total healing from trauma.
Purls of Peace provides free knitting instructions and supplies to domestic violence and sexual assault survivors as one step in healing their trauma.
Sources: Theresa Burke, PhD; Bruce Perry, MD; Diane Roberts Stoler, EdD