Tattoo Therapy

Not to say that traditional therapies such as talk therapy, EMDR, CBT, and DBT aren't helpful (they totally are), but sometimes I need a different type of therapy. I've had tattoo fever ever since I got my first and most painful tattoo in 2021. My cousin had a tattoo artist she recommended, so my cousin, my boyfriend at the time, and I drove out the Huntington Beach for a day of tattoos. My first tattoo, blue roses crawling from my butt to my bra strap, was so painful I begged my cousin and boyfriend to tell me stories and distract me from the pain. I was determined to sit through the pain as I thought if I "bitched out" I would never get it finished due to that pain. This was the beginning of my tattoo journey.

Ever since the first tattoo, I've learned that I have more effects on my mental state than just the sting of tattoo fever, where one can't wait for their next tattoos. I've got tattoos with friends and family, and I've got tattoos where it was just me and the tattoo artist. They both fuel me in different ways. Perhaps tattoos fuel you as well. That's what today's blog post is all about.

Camaraderie

Both of my wrists and elbows were tattooed in the presence of old friends. My first wrist tattoo was from a Friday the 13th tattoo special I got with another friend for only $20. We waited in a long line with excitement. Our tattoos were finished within a few minutes, but the process was a more fun one. It reminds me of waiting in line at the fair and when you're finally at the front of the line, your excitement climaxes: your time has come! Enjoy! Waiting in line all day with my friend was tedious but worth it once we got to the front of the line and stepped into the cooling tattoo shop, crossing the threshold from hopeful to haver.

The other wrist was tattooed at a tattoo convention about 5 years later. My friend wanted a piercing and I wanted a tattoo. While we waited, we got to see local tattoo artists' work in their sketchbooks and play slot machines in the casino the convention was held next to. It was definitely more relaxing than waiting in the heat in a long line. Still, the excitement encouraged us and we left with our body modifications happy. A little trip felt special because of it.

One of my most recent tattoos was the idea of my family's during my grandpa's 80th birthday celebration in Las Vegas. All the legal members of the family got the same small anchor in honor of my grandpa, our family anchor. This was one of the most exhausting waits I've experienced for a tattoo. We waited in a long line in the July heat. I was roasting. My partner went to the pizza place next door and brought me a cup of iced water. My family chatted on. It took about 4 hours for us to cross the threshold of the cooled tattoo shop and get each of our tattoos. This was most of my cousins' and siblings' first tattoo. We had something to bond over, lifelong twins.

During each of my tattoos with friends and family present, the camaraderie during the wait and the process of getting our body modifications created in me a sense of belonging. My grandma and dad did not like the idea of me getting tattoos, let alone encouraging my cousins and siblings to get them. They said it'd negatively impact my job prospects, make me look less classy, and thought God was against tattoos. Getting tattooed with others created an opposite effect; I was part of an artistic community, others saw me and my tattoos as beautiful, and God blessed me with each pierce of the tattoo gun. That was all I ever wanted.

Silence

I feel asleep during my lower neck tattoo. The pain felt minimal and I was lying down on my stomach with my head cradled in my folded arms. When I woke up a few hours later, it was done. The process for this tattoo wasn't unlike spa days or getting my hair done. Spa days were a godsend to a chronic insomniac like me. Spending the day in hot tubs and saunas leading up to massages and sea salt scrubs almost always led towards a great nap afterwards. That's what this tattoo was for me. It was the first tattoo I got on my own without friends, family, or a partner. It was just me and the tattoo artist.

I wonder if that rhythmic pierce of the tattoo gun mimicked massage to my neck. All I remember was waking up refreshed and happy as fuck when I saw my beautiful new tattoo. I can't help but think that the silence and body interaction is what was responsible. Peace, what a lovely feeling!

Tattoo Shop ASMR

For all the other tattoos I got, I was alone and awake. While I originally brought my iPod to listen to music, I started not bringing music once I found a tattoo shop that had multiple people working at the same time. Amongst the pierce of the tattoo guns, I heard tattoo artist banter, background music, and other people approving their tattoo stencils and final reveals. At my most recent one, two tattoo artists did impressions of Trump as a space explorer so on point that I had to hold in my laughs so I didn't shake during the tattoo process.

I fall asleep to ASMR or audiobooks every night. The tattoo shop sounds aren't much different. Feeling at peace with everything around you as you lie on the tattoo table is therapeutic. You're a part of this environment but you're also a people-watcher, a fly on the wall for the sounds that come from every corner of the tattoo shop. It feels so natural to me by now that it's almost like being in a natural habitat.

I have 19 tattoos now and only want more. If I could afford getting a new one each month, I would. Every session ends with a special gift I'll carry for the rest of my life and an overwhelming sense of peace that I don't always get in the therapist's office. If you haven't tried it yet, I'd highly recommend.

#IDisappointMyDad #IDMD #post19 #07212024 #TattooTherapy #tattoos