457: Discovering Self + Healing Trauma Though IFS + Art With Sacha Mardou

Nov 19, 2024

Sacha Mardou, a British cartoonist and graphic novelist, shares her journey of healing from family trauma through IFS therapy in her graphic memoir, "Past Tense." She discusses the powerful blend of art and therapy, demonstrating how comics can make complex emotional experiences relatable and accessible. Mardou explores the stigmas surrounding mental health, resilience in wartime Manchester, and the transformative effects of creative expression on personal growth and self-discovery. Her insights illuminate how storytelling can foster connection and healing.

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ANECDOTE

Sketching Therapy On The Commute

Sacha sketched comics on public transport after therapy to process and record sessions for herself.
Drawing IFS parts made her internal work more vivid and accelerated healing.

INSIGHT

Comics Reveal Inner Subtext

Comics combine words and images to reveal inner states in a way prose often cannot.
This multimodal approach helps readers feel the subtext and emotions of therapy.

ADVICE

Draw Your Parts To Externalize IFS

Try drawing your parts when doing IFS to externalize and visualize internal dynamics.
Use simple sketches to make parts dialogue more concrete and easier to work with.

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Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's guest is Sacha Mardou, an illustrator who has documented her journey of healing from family trauma and abuse using IFS therapy in a new graphic memoir called Past Tense, which is available now. Sacha is not a therapist, but she has a gift for making the process of IFS therapy relatable and her book is a fabulous resource for anyone who is interested in learning about healing. She's someone I've followed on social media for years - I even have an original work of hers in my home. I'm so excited that her work is now reaching a larger audience. There's something really powerful about the combination of artwork and therapy-related material that reaches another level when reading. Sacha Mardou is a British cartoonist and graphic novelist who now makes a home in St Louis, Missouri. Her graphic memoir, Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy (Avery Press, 2024) is an account of her emotional healing journey using IFS therapy.

Find Sacha Mardou's book, Past Tense, on Amazon here.

Visit Sacha's website here: https://ifscomics.com

Follow Sacha on Facebook and Instagram

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