Ep 017: Trauma to Triumph: A Hero’s Journey

CONTENT WARNING: THIS EPISODES CONTAINS CONTENT ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SUICIDE – MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL LISTENERST Ron Blake is one of five siblings who grew up in suburban Chicago. He’s now living in Phoenix and is an artist who’s using an innovative means of creative therapy to overcome a near-deadly rape at the hands of three men who entered his home one evening.  His medium is the human interaction he’s had each day for 2,737 days. Meeting 32,295 complete strangers one by one across the U.S. and Mexico.  Those interactions are expressed as social practice artwork. Contributions by those strangers in 94 languages with 27 Sharpie marker colors are on 497 giant foam boards.  A moment of laughter from a late-night comedy show stopped Blake from suicide on November 2, 2015. Starting his colorful journey. He was nominated for and gave a TEDx talk about this creative adventure and the significance of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in it all.  Additionally, the artist has written over 200 short stories, Guest Commentaries, and Letters to the Editor for a multitude of publications. Many of those pieces have used Blake’s artistic recovery odyssey as a muse for entertaining, informing, and inspiring his readers.  Listen to this inspiring episode of The Intentional Soul with Ron Blake about overcoming trauma.   Here are some of the beneficial topics covered on this week’s show: ·      Ron describes the trauma he dealt with after his rape. The betrayal he felt from the police department because he was not taken seriously as a homosexual man; and the fact that the assault was done by men he knew under the influence of alcohol. ·      Ron explains years later he was diagnosed with dissociative amnesia and what that is and how it protects your brain. ·      Ron describes the day he woke up and wanted to take his own life.     Connect with Ron: https://www.instagram.com/blakelateshow/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-blake-b447ab10/ https://www.aptsda.org/aboutus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0LMlFDIbgQ     Connect with Tom: https://www.tomrosstalks.com   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices