Healing Together: Body-Map Storytelling with Mothers Who Lost a Child to Gun Violence

Background: Body-map storytelling is the process of developing a map through drawing, painting, and using annotations that represent dimensions of one’s physical body and lived experiences. Body-maps have been used as a therapeutic method, a tool for inspiring advocacy and policy change, and for community-building, biographical, and inter-generational dialogue purposes. Body-map storytelling also provides people with opportunities to highlight their preferred narratives, and has shown to reduce stigma, increase self-esteem, and empower participants. Grounded in theoretical lenses of embodiment and social learning, this project engaged mothers who lost children to gun violence in experiential body-map storytelling workshops. The workshops aimed to facilitate the mothers’ exploration and sharing of difficult aspects of their lived experiences, while seeking healing and solidarity alongside others who navigated similar tragic circumstances.

Methods: In partnership with a community-based agency that facilitates a weekly group for mothers who have experienced the loss of a child to gun violence, participants were recruited for a 5-part body-map storytelling workshop series. After hearing of the workshop and study details, a total of 45 mothers opted to participate. Background and examples of body-map storytelling were presented to the mothers, and the group was encouraged to brainstorm and collectively decide on how they wanted to approach the activity, including how and what they ultimately created. Following the workshops, participants were engaged in optional focus groups that asked them to reflect on their experiences in the project. Qualitative data collected were then analyzed, using a reflexive thematic analysis approach.

Results: After poignant dialogues about their experiences of losing family and community members to gun violence, the group decided that they did not want to make individual body-maps. Rather, they sought to create one collective body-map that could symbolize the group as a whole, but with individualized messages and artwork from group members woven throughout the body-map. The group also decided to create something that would make a lasting impression and impact; rather than sketching a body-map on paper, they created their map on a large piece of heavy canvas, with personal artifacts embroidered and carefully sewn into the canvas. The group’s intent is to use the body-map as an art installation, an awareness-raising visual, and a protest banner to call for an end to gun violence. As one participant stated, “When I first started the body-mapping initiative, I was a bit hesitant. As I got the groove of the project, it allowed me to embrace my body and self-healing. The mural symbolized relief. It provided me the reassurance that I can have a physical display to showcase how I overcame adversity.”

Conclusions: Arts-based and participatory research approaches can provide powerful avenues for communities to come together and demonstrate mutual aid, strengthen solidarity, and advocate for policy change. As mothers in the project created art together, they found a deepened sense of belonging, healing, and community. Centering participants’ choice and creativity in how they want to express their lived experiences and ideas is critically important to uplifting their voices toward community action and change-making.