By Amy Erickson
This is a teaser for Visceral, the documentary. When the grip of past traumas prevent four people from moving forward in their lives, they experience freedom from isolation, rage and illness, and rekindle hope for renewed relationships by performing onstage. Visceral features experts on trauma including Stephen Porges, PhD; Gabor Mate, MD; Bessel van der Kolk, MD, and Michael McBride, MD. Also featured are a number of theatre professionals who speak about the ways that acting, singing, and dancing have helped Etiene, Carissa, Jon and Charlie, as they experience a release from trauma’s grip through self- and co-regulation, social engagement and connection with others onstage, and off. For them, performing works like nothing else has before.