This Art Exhibit Shows What Having a Migraine Feels Like

By Colleen Brett

Every migraine is different. Some sufferers feel only a pounding headache. Others know one is coming when a shimmering aura creeps across their field of vision. Still others find relief only in darkness.

A new campaign, called “Frames of Mind,” uses art to recreate the unique and varied symptoms of migraines, bringing awareness to the headaches’ debilitating effects.

Patients from around the country submitted pieces to “Frames of Mind,” a collaboration between Allergan and the American Migraine Foundation. Works selected by migraine experts will be on display in Boston on Friday and Saturday, during the American Headache Society’s annual meeting. They can also be viewed online.

Here’s a taste:

By Natalie Aiken

By Julie Tazzia

By Javier Sotomayor

See these works and others on June 9 and 10 during the meeting of the American Headache Society at the Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer St., Boston, americanheadachesociety.org.