By looking at art by artists who manifest or who self-identify as having psycho-emotional disorders, connections between the artist and the world around them can be uncovered. The definitions of mental health versus mental illness are social and historical constructs. In this paper, the viewer’s perception of these artists and their art is contextualized. Current trauma theory refers to art not only as physical manifestations of trauma, but as transmissions of experience that open up spaces for interaction. This framework is applied to the media art of Cathy Sisler and Lindsay Seers who portray experiences of psychological and emotional disturbances. The writings of psychoanalysts, scientists, cognitive scientists, critical and cultural theorists, and art historians are applied to show the obvious and hidden modes through which Sisler and Seers communicate and how they forge empathetic, cognitive and intellectual bridges.