Women and trauma: transformation of self through mask making and action-based mask work

This secondary analysis study examined the stories of six women who were impacted by trauma. These women attended a ten-week counselling group in which they participated in the construction of masks and in action-based mask work as a means of expressing and working through their trauma experiences. Based on a constructivist approach, the methodology employed in this study was a narrative inquiry centred on the work of Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, and Zilber (1998). The data were generated from open-ended questions during pre- and post-group interviews. Utilizing a narrative content analysis, a transformative process of self became evident along a timeline of before, during, and after the counselling group. The transformation of self shifted from a complex, hidden self to an emerging self, and finally to a new appreciation of self. Understanding this process and the catalysts for change, offers new insight to counsellors for supporting and working with trauma survivors.