Exploring Lived Experience, Trauma Links, and the Role of Drawing in Women with Premenstrual Disorders and Histories of Emotional Maltreatment

Through semi-structured interviews with drawing tasks, the study explored women’s lived experiences of premenstrual disorders and perceived connections to past emotional maltreatment. Fifteen women from nine countries were recruited online. Premenstrual symptoms and emotional maltreatment were screened via questionnaires (PSST, CTQ-SF, and REACH). Four themes emerged: The Storm (overwhelming disruption of identity and functioning), The Window Opens (resurfacing of suppressed material), Making Meaning (acceptance, growth, and systemic critique), and The Drawing Experience (visual expression and perspective shifts despite resistance). Findings show that symptoms mirrored early emotional dynamics, luteal sensitivity surfaced suppressed material, and drawing enriched both research and therapeutic understanding.