Trauma Therapy for Latinas

Latinas Deserve Quality Therapy That Honors Cultural Identity

As Latinas we are often taught to care for everyone else before ourselves. Taking time every week or every other week to talk and receive support can feel selfish, if we even think about doing it at all. Just because we aren’t encouraged to take care of ourselves, doesn’t mean we don’t need it. We can put a stop to generations of self-sacrifice and suffering in silence.

What Makes Latina Trauma Unique

For us Latinas trauma is more than a one-time event that we need to recover from. Trauma is often on-going, repeated, and interwoven into our daily realities. Trauma isn’t just personal experience. Trauma lives in our family histories. It is a part of navigating life as a Latina in the U.S. The traumas Latinas experience are multilayered and also impacted by factors like:

Cultural Expectations Around Gender

Our culture places expectations onto women shaped by marianismo. Marianismo demands women be self-sacrificing, quiet, and the strong center of the family. We are taught to put others before ourselves, and to endure. Because of this being able to tolerate suffering can feel like a duty, and not like something to seek help or support for, especially from a therapist.

Family Expectations

Many of us did not grow up in homes that encouraged us to talk about trauma or mental health. We were taught to ignore any signs of depression or anxiety, and to just work harder and move on. In fact, talking to a stranger about our family could feel like an act of betrayal. It can also be hard to feel valid in your distress when you may feel like others in your family had it worse, or could only focus on what was needed to survive. But remember, some of what you are carrying has been inherited from your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors. Trauma is passed on until someone in the lineage is able to slow down, address it, and begin healing.

Identity and Belonging

Being a Latina in the United States is a complex identity to inhabit. Many of us struggle, feeling like we are between cultures and not fully accepted by either one. On the American side we can experience racism, discrimination, microaggressions, and other social traumas that lead us to feel like we aren’t accepted. On our Latin side we may not feel “Latina Enough” because we have been influenced by American culture or because of racism, colorism, or discrimination from other Latinos. We may not speak Spanish, and this can become a source of shame. This double sided pressure can make it feel like we don’t really belong anywhere.

What Latina Healing Can Look Like

Healing from trauma whether personal, generational, or historical is beautiful and will look different for each person. For some women they find that they are more comfortable releasing generational patterns that no longer serve them or that they don’t want to pass along to their own children. For others they may find that they are able to challenge the unhealthy guilt that can stem from always trying to please everyone else. This often involves discovering boundary setting, and finding a healthier balance between the “I” and the “We.” Healing can also mean finding safety within the body, learning tools to understand and process our emotions, as well as how to practice gentle regulation and self-compassion when things feel difficult or overwhelming. Learning to slow down and rest is often a huge sign of healing for Latinas. And lastly, and maybe most importantly, Latinas healing can look like reconnecting with the strength and beauty of our culture. When we have been deeply harmed we sometimes blame our culture as being toxic, and the problem. And yes, while there are aspects of our culture that do cause harm, but there are also aspects that are joyful and healing. Healing allows us to separate what hurts us from what anchors or nurtures us.

Trauma therapy can help us Latinas reclaim narratives that have been shaped by silence, survival, or generational wounds. Modalities like EMDR and narrative therapy can be adapted to honor our cultural identity. Latinas deserve deep healing, and trauma therapy can be one route to get there.