Interpersonal Trauma within Central American Communities in the United States

Just a little foreword about myself, I’m a CARE Advocate at the University of California, Riverside and I work closely with students, faculty, staff and the overall campus community to promote equity work through providing advocacy and outreach on rape culture and other impactful issues around power based violence. Some of the issues under the power based violence umbrella are domestic/dating violence, stalking, sexual assault/harassment, and human trafficking. For the last 10 years I have worked in some capacity with Soul Wound (trauma) survivors/victims/both/neither. I first started off as a volunteer advocate and eventually held the position of a Trauma Therapist. Throughout that time I’ve reflected on the impacts power based violence has had on myself and my loved ones to gain a more holistic understanding of this on a broader societal level and the tremendous impact it has on communities. I’ll be sharing information based on the work I’ve conducted within organizations as well as reviewing campus culture based on personal observations & experiences, informal interviews with colleagues and community members, and peer reviewed research.

Trauma can be defined as a life altering event(s) that impacts and either causes or has the potential to cause injury and death and impacts individuals on an emotional, physical, mental and spiritual manner. I refer to trauma often as soul wounds as they can cause us to question the core of who we are and our perception of the world around us. In this society and many others that are based off of commodification and hierarchical standards it is unfortunate that soul wound survivors are often re-traumatized and their wounds reopened due to the violence held around these standards. Through my observations I have seen the various times soul wound survivors who have identification and ties to Central American diaspora have also had their soul wounds reopened for this exact reason.

One of the tenets of recovery and healing is receiving support and empowerment from and through others. Support is crucial for reintegration to gain a sense of safety and cohesion in our daily lives. It provides a space for soul wound survivors/victims/BN to better understand either through mirroring of their symptoms, thought themes, and survival strategies. We look to others to reflect back our hurt in a way that is reminiscent of a nurturing, empowering source that perhaps we have or haven’t had in our lives. One of the ways in which I have been able to offer this support or hold a space in which survivors/victims/BN can support each other has been through facilitating support and trauma groups. Unfortunately, I have seen Central American survivors be re-traumatized upon hearing disparaging comments made against their culture in these same groups. As a Central American, Guatemalteca myself I also feel that pain in hearing gross generalizations about us as a people. Balancing the space between decolonizing our historical and colonial separateness and holding accountability is oftentimes difficult but wholly necessary in order to preserve safety for all group members. Colleagues who also identify as Cent Am and I have had several discussions around the intricacies of what we can convey outwardly about our identification without having other colleagues, who might identify from another diaspora, dismiss them, as well.

Following the theme of support, many college students that I have worked with have expressed having a lack of resources that focus on Central American students. University of California, Riverside luckily has Casa de UCR that has served to be integral to the empowerment and unification of the Central American community at UCR. However, other colleges and universities and high schools have not been able to had the same response for whatever reason. Since students in higher ed are oftentimes in an unfamiliar space away from family members and other loved ones their sense of vulnerability can be heightened and those soul wounds can reappear. As a CARE advocate I serve to help provide academic, work or housing accommodations for student survivors/victims/BN as well as hold space and connect them to resources that can help them flourish academically and socially. Often times these students also express not being able to hold flourishing conversations with their family members due to shame and stigma around these various issues that stem from colonial learning on sexuality and gender roles.

Another interest of mine is analyzing additional risk factors that are presented for Central Americans for further harm and re-victimization. For instance, the author speaks about someone he interviewed. He stated that a student who was part of the BIPOC LGBTQ community didn’t feel a connection to any student groups on campus. She went to a local bar during the day that she was unfamiliar with to find solace and connection with others. She met a male who proceeded to buy her drinks and groom her throughout their encounter. This person then proceeded to sexually assault her. She was actively attempting to work through some of the discomfort of feeling as if she didn’t belong on campus to then having to navigate this trauma that occurred. Furthermore, in the research it is shown that students who identify as BIPOC and TQNC were less likely to receive adequate support and services as well as investigation efforts if they reported their assaults to a formal higher education department (Cobian & Stolzenberg, 2018). For students who are BIPOC and TQNC and reside in a predominantly white institution this can also bring about issues of white supremacy and perceived or enforced inferiority.

Lastly, advocacy and therapy for soul wound survivors is lacking in the sense that there is a gap between providing adequate and culturally competent healing. Much of the work in the therapy world ought to be practiced and implemented in a decolonized manner. Some of the ways in which soul wound survivors make sense of their pain and suffering is to gain a sense of spirituality and hope. This can be done through reconnecting with ancestral practices. The language and mannerisms used within the therapeutic language can also create barriers for individuals seeking wellness. Reconstructing the narratives of power based violence is also necessary for folx to re-gain their sense of empowerment by understanding their blood memory (historical) trauma and dismantling the power within a colonized framework.

Soul wound work is difficult and ongoing yet intimate and nourishing and liberating. For our Central American survivors/victims/both/neither it is our duty to change the sphere of what healing should look like and the prevention of needing to heal in the first place.