My work as a mental health clinician has brought me face to face with a variety of mental illness. Most of my clients have encountered significant traumas, and are experiencing symptoms associated with PTSD. The most common and enduring symptom I observe is dissociation, a mental process that can cause a person to feel disconnected from their thoughts, feelings, memories, identity, or sense of surroundings. It can range from mild emotional detachment to more severe disconnection. My clients will often cite that they feel as if they are going through the motions on autopilot, not remembering what they did earlier in the day, regardless of the content. They will tell me how the act of feeling is unsafe, because in the past, it has led to nothing but pain. While my ultimate goal in therapy is to help clients get out from that state of mind and heal from their trauma, I find it necessary to get to their level in order to empathize with them in their situation. These images are based on how dissociation has been described to me in sessions by my clients, in addition to some lived experience.
Bio:
Ray Bonk is a board certified art therapist, working with children and families in Southwest Washington. His artistic journey began when he was strong enough to pick up a pencil, and has never stopped. Ray works primarily in traditional 2D mediums, including watercolor, acrylic, pencil, pastel, and marker. He also enjoys experimenting in assemblage, collage, and fiber arts. He describes his style as a blend of surreal, macabre, and grunge, leaning towards darker aesthetics and existential motifs, including death, nightmares, mental illness, and the human condition. His influences include Tim Burton, Zdzisław Beksiński, HR Giger, and the stop motion work of Phil Tippett. He lives with his partner and two cats, where you will likely catch them watching horror movies.
- Collections: Fragility and Fortitude