“…really helping people see that colonization still occurs. And that I’m over here talking about the emotional components, the emotional companion, the cousin to the physicality of colonization. Like how the removal of land, of culture, also produced an attempted euthanization of spirit. It is a genocide attempt, any way you cut it- of culture, of spirit, of cutting our hair, of minimizing how we talk, what we talk about, whether we’re allowed to talk about spirit and soul.” -Dr. Jennifer Mullan, Founder of Decolonizing Therapy
We have Instagram to thank for introducing us to Dr. Jennifer. Her post about the connection between attachment wound and ancestral history caught Jennifer’s eye and we knew we had to have a conversation.
In this episode we explore the deep and intricate connections between trauma, ancestral history, attachment styles, and the pervasive impacts of colonization on individuals and communities with the powerful and passionate Dr. Jennifer Mullan.
We discuss the significance of trauma-informed care, healing intergenerational wounds, and acknowledging the far-reaching effects of colonization on attachment styles, individual lives, and society as a whole.
Dr. Jennifer shares her decades worth of insights on the importance of considering historical, cultural, and ancestral factors in understanding attachment and nervous system health. She emphasizes the intergenerational nature of trauma and how it affects how individuals feel safe and relate to others.
Like us, she found books about trauma to be pivotal in her life and career. She resonated with books like “Native American Post Colonial Psychology, ”Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome,” and “Psychological Enslavement”. They sparked her to study trauma, culture, and ancestral history. They also shined a light on her righteous rage. She shares about her personal rage, how she integrated it to heal her nervous system and attachment wounds.
It all led to her creating Decolonizing Therapy. Her website describes her work as a global movement that is radically reimagining the old mental health paradigm. This movement responds to the need for a therapeutic approach addressing deep-rooted traumas and systemic issues in individuals and communities.
Key takeaways:
- Impact of Personal and Collective Trauma
- How emotional experiences, such as rage, can deeply influence one’s attachment style
- Ruth King’s definition of rage and her 6 Disguises of Rage
- How Elisabeth processed her rage using NSI tools
- How being displaced from one’s homeland can lead to profound attachment wounds and a sense of not belonging anywhere
- The role of Freeze, Fight, Flight, dissociation and shame in intergenerational and migration trauma
- Colonization’s lasting impact
- Attachment and Intergenerational Trauma
We conclude with acknowledging that discussing these complex issues is just the beginning. Transformative conversations are necessary to address attachment wounds, trauma, and social issues to promote emotional and societal healing. And we are here for it!
If you’re here for it, too, it starts with your own nervous system regulation. Join us on the Brain Based Wellness site where you can get 2 free weeks of nervous system training with us by going to rewiretrial.com. We teach live 4 times a week and we have an extensive on demand library for you to explore. We’d love to see you there!
Listen to more episodes of Trauma Rewired HERE
