A Way Through

Graphic Design / Social Awareness / CPTSD / Posters

This project aims to visually explore the underlying causes of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) within the sociocultural context of China, particularly focusing on how early-life trauma manifests as a persistent emotional void in adulthood. In the face of collective silence, rigid family systems, and societal expectations, many individuals—especially children—grow up suppressing emotional wounds that remain unaddressed. These unresolved experiences often lead to dissociation, internal fragmentation, and a loss of connection to self and others in later life.

The primary audience for this project is individuals who live with the lingering effects of CPTSD in Chinese contexts—those who may struggle to articulate their inner disconnection, exhaustion, or sense of void, yet carry it daily. Many of them have never had the space to name their trauma, let alone process it. This work speaks directly to them, offering visual representations that validate their experiences and create emotional resonance without requiring verbal explanation.

What is the Truth?
If the truth is so painful and difficult to face, how can I find a way out?
And if there is no way out, how can I continue living in this world?
Where is the exit?
Is there an Exit?

What is the relationship between light/ sun and Shade/ shadow?
Light: the source. Shadow: the absence of the light, the darker experience, “the shadow proves the sunshine”. Not negative.

What is the relationship between light & shadow in finding hope?
Hope isn't simply the absence of darkness but rather the capacity to recognize, navigate, and learn from challenges.

I inherited their fear and turned it into discipline.
I am the child and the parent now, both controlled and controlling.

Rather than focusing solely on attributing causes, the project centers on exploring the emotional trajectory between fear, void, and hope as a pathway toward healing. Through this body of work, I intend to translate these invisible psychological landscapes into visual narratives that examine the tension between internal chaos and the search for balance. The project also asks: how do individuals living with CPTSD in such an environment begin to recognize this void, and what might healing, or a sense of wholeness, visually look like?

The project is still in progress
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