Hope(less)(ness)

This project started as a means of examining the psychological aftermath of sexual trauma, specifically focusing on PTSD, and the feeling of hopelessness that accompanies the burdens of grief and processing trauma. Originally, it was a personal outlet to express the emotions that words could not define, but it became a tool to address and explore the one feeling that no one was acknowledging, but was the one that terrified me most: hopelessness. This has been an ongoing project for the past six years, continuing to develop as I continue to heal. Each image represented in this series was taken during a moment of true personal battle and with brutal honesty; I wanted to share my truth and struggle with others as a means to communicate with those who had undergone similar traumatic experiences, to tell them that they were not alone - and to help recognize that grief is a non-linear process and that everyone has a different trajectory on their healing path - and that the only way to beat hopelessness is to be open and share, and to find the right tools, whatever they may be.