In this video, Russell discusses his travels in Asia and how he learned about kintsugi, a Japanese technique of repairing broken ceramics by highlighting the cracks with gold instead of hiding them. He relates this to healing from trauma, emphasizing that our scars make us who we are and we should not feel ashamed of them. Rather than trying to erase or detach ourselves from our experiences, we should embrace them and see them as empowering. Russell encourages viewers to think of their trauma as a part of their journey and to be proud of the strength it has given them.
"I've spent a lot of time traveling all over Asia and Southeast Asia and East Asia, and you know, um, exposing myself to a lot of Buddhist, uh, philosophies and um, thought and theory. And one of the things that I took away from that was this practical method of repairing broken ceramics, and in Japan they call this kintsugi. Kintsugi is a way of reassembling broken ceramics but in a way that doesn't hide the scars or the breaks, but highlights them as in bringing out the um, the breaks as part of that ceramic's journey. And then they highlight the breaks with gold and really emphasize um, the break in the journey of this piece of ceramic.
The truth is, those of us who have suffered extreme trauma, we're really no different. And oftentimes, we get caught up in this way of trying to eliminate or erase or detach or disconnect ourselves from that experience in order to feel like we've healed it or we don't carry it with us anymore. But the simple fact is, is that that trauma will always be with us. It will always be part of who we are, and there's nothing wrong with that. You know, as in kintsugi, those scars make us who we are and make us beautiful. And so there's no shame in exposing those scars. And for those of us who see that and see those scars, you know, we see the beauty in them.
My scars make me who I am and make me a strong and powerful individual who has been through some extreme experiences, but I don't feel ashamed of that anymore. And I can embrace my past and share that when I feel comfortable sharing that in a way that is very empowering. And so I really want people to think of their trauma and the scars, the emotional scars, the physical scars, not as something that they should feel ashamed of, but something that they can actually be proud of. And think of the concept of kintsugi and that those scars make us who we are."
