Katrina joined Inside:Out knowing many in the BAME community can be reluctant to speak up, hoping her story might encourage others to seek help. She describes her struggles as generational trauma:
"Something that becomes so ingrained that you don’t realise, but it affects the way you see the world and how you perceive interactions around you."

At secondary school, the effects emerged:
"There were little things that I realised that probably were not necessarily normal... I’d get really anxious whenever the school bell rang... My family is very religious, and I’m not... It just created a massive inner conflict with trying to fit in with my family and their values."

At university, anxiety worsened into dissociation, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, and sleepless nights: "I just lay there crying, forcing myself to cry... hoping that if I get all of the harm out of myself, I’ll be able to sleep."

Seeking help transformed her life:
"I find it nice to look back and think, wow, you’re not really getting that anymore."

She likens recovery to blooming:
"As a flower opens... The person I am now was already there... but got covered by everybody else’s expectations.” The Lotus flower became her metaphor: "Growth can happen anywhere and anytime. And there’s something beautiful about it."

Of her painting, she said: "I felt really seen... The flower is still opening too... The painting captures the essence of the cycle of getting better and having trauma pop up and overcoming it."