Grew Up with Narcissistic Parents? Pottery Can Help You Heal
When your childhood taught you that love was conditional, finding a safe, creative space as an adult can be deeply healing. Pottery gives you that.
If you were raised by narcissistic parents, chances are you learned early on to hide your feelings, question your worth, and prioritize their needs over your own. You may still struggle with boundaries, self-trust, or the constant fear that you’re “too much” or “not enough.”
The emotional wounds from a childhood like that run deep. But healing doesn’t always have to be loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it begins with your hands in clay and your mind at rest.
Pottery Offers a Path Back to You
At The Clay Hole in Draper, Utah, we’ve built a space where adults with all kinds of pasts can come to breathe, create, and exist without being judged or controlled. No one’s keeping score. No one’s withholding love. You show up, and that’s enough.
Pottery allows you to explore who you are apart from how you were raised. You get to make choices. Set boundaries. Take up space. You learn to trust your hands—and slowly, your heart follows.
Why Pottery Is Powerful for People Recovering from Narcissistic Families
Studies show that trauma-informed creative expression helps rebuild emotional autonomy and reduces shame (source). Pottery grounds you in the now. It doesn’t require performance or approval. It’s about process, not perfection.
Each piece you make is yours—shaped by your choices, not someone else’s demands. You don’t need to seek permission. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be here.
A Studio Designed to Help You Feel Safe Again
- Zero-pressure environment with kind instructors
- No forced interaction—connect at your own pace
- Classes are structured, consistent, and predictable
- All adults—no kids, no chaos, no loud dynamics
- Snacks, coffee, and cozy lounge areas for decompressing
- Memberships that allow routine and stability without contracts
You don’t have to prove anything here. You’ve already survived. Now it’s time to build something beautiful—for yourself.
Conclusion
If you were raised in a home where love was conditional and identity wasn’t safe, pottery might offer the healing space you’ve been craving. At The Clay Hole, you get to exist without performance—and that alone can change everything.
“I didn’t realize how much I still carried until pottery helped me set it down. No one controls me here. I get to just be.”
— Brianna L., Clay Hole Member
FAQs
Will I have to talk about my past?
Not at all. We don’t do group therapy. You can create in silence or conversation—your choice.
What if I have anxiety around people?
Many of our members do. Our space is calm, with lots of options for solo focus and quiet corners.
Can I come just for me, without needing to explain?
Yes. This is your space to heal in whatever way feels right. No explanation required.
Written by Dan Pearce, artist, author, and owner of The Clay Hole—a space designed for people who need a break from performance, pressure, and painful pasts.