I’ve been meaning to write about tattoos for a while. I have to ask you to humor me a little here. I don’t have any tattoos of my own but I have tried to understand my son, Shawheen who had tattoos covering his left arm and leg as well as his shoulder blades. I try to understand everyone with a tattoo and particularly those with many.
I believe I am sensing Shawheen, from beyond the veil, share with me how he felt to clarify that I am understanding how many people may feel around getting tattoos.
A long time ago a woman explained to me that when a person gets a tattoo, endorphins are released with the pain, allowing them to feel good. She said, tattooing can be a culturally sanctioned way to get the same feel good chemicals flowing as when someone cuts themselves.
In the last week before Shawheen got into addictions treatment, the time it seemed to work, he cut himself. H did it at least once, maybe twice, and he didn’t mess around. It was serious. He cut the artery on the inside of his elbow. He left a huge puddle of blood I had to clean up. When the ambulance came, they said they couldn’t get him admitted to hospital because he had tied his own tourniquet!!
This speaks to his pain, his emotional pain. He suffered a great deal of emotional/psychic pain. Getting tattoos helped him feel better for a while. It just wasn’t long enough.
This blog is in support of everyone out there who suffers from emotional or psychic pain, for everyone whose tattoos help, but just for a little while. This is a blessing to all of you, a peaceful, loving blessing!!
