Breaking Free: Finding Healing in Decolonized Trauma Therapy
Trauma changes us in ways we don't always see. If you're carrying trauma, you might have tried different types of therapy with mixed results. Here's something important to know: if therapy isn't working for you, the problem isn't you—it might be the approach.
When Standard Therapy Doesn't Feel Right
Many common trauma therapies come from Western ideas about healing. These approaches often focus just on you as an individual. They might suggest that healing happens only in your own mind, separate from your community, culture, or history.
If you've felt misunderstood in therapy or like something important was being missed, you're not alone. Standard approaches might overlook crucial parts of who you are:
Your family and community connections
Your cultural practices and beliefs
Historical trauma passed down through your family or community
Your spiritual beliefs and practices
What "Decolonized" Trauma Therapy Means For You
To find a "decolonized" therapy approach means looking for healing that fits all of who you are. It means finding help that makes room for your unique background and understanding of the world.
What to look for in a decolonized approach:
Respect for your cultural way of experiencing and expressing pain
Recognition that your trauma might be connected to your community, not just you alone
Openness to traditional healing practices that matter to you
Understanding of how racism, oppression, or historical events might affect your healing
Brainspotting: A Bridge to Decolonized Healing
Brainspotting is one therapy approach that works well within a decolonized framework. Unlike some therapies that require you to talk through your trauma in specific ways, brainspotting follows your body's own wisdom.
Here's how brainspotting works as a decolonized approach:
It honors your body's wisdom. Brainspotting believes your body knows how to heal itself. The therapist helps you find specific eye positions ("brainspots") that connect to your trauma, then lets your brain do the healing work naturally. This respects that healing wisdom can come from within you, not just from outside expert knowledge.
It doesn't force your story into a Western narrative. You don't have to explain your trauma in ways that fit Western ideas. Your body's responses guide the process.
It works across cultural backgrounds. Because brainspotting relies on brain-body connections that all humans share, it can work regardless of your cultural background or language.
It gives you control. You decide what to focus on and how deep to go. The therapist is a guide, not an authority telling you how to heal.
It makes room for spiritual experiences. Many people report profound spiritual insights during brainspotting, and therapists trained in decolonized approaches will respect these experiences rather than dismissing them.
Finding Your Path: Practical Steps
If you're looking for trauma therapy that respects all of who you are:
Trust your instincts. If a therapy approach doesn't feel right, that's important information. Your discomfort might be telling you something isn't aligned with your needs or background.
Ask potential therapists about their approach to culture. Before starting therapy, ask: "How do you incorporate cultural background into your work?" Their answer will tell you a lot about whether they practice decolonized approaches.
Look for representation. While a therapist doesn't have to share your exact background, consider whether they have experience working with people from similar cultures or communities.
Ask about brainspotting or other body-centered approaches. Therapies that focus on the body often create more space for cultural differences than purely talk-based approaches.
Consider whether family or community should be part of your healing. In many cultures, healing happens in community. Ask if the therapist can include family members or cultural practices in your therapy when appropriate.
How I Work to Decolonize My Practice
As a therapist committed to providing truly effective trauma healing, I continuously work to decolonize my practice in these ways:
Ongoing cultural humility. I regularly examine my own biases and blind spots. I recognize that my training, while valuable, comes with cultural limitations. I see myself as a lifelong learner when it comes to understanding diverse healing traditions.
Creating brave spaces. In my practice, you don't have to leave parts of yourself at the door. Your cultural identity, spiritual beliefs, and community connections are welcome and valued as potential sources of healing wisdom.
Respecting body wisdom through brainspotting. I use brainspotting specifically because it honors your body's natural healing abilities rather than imposing external solutions. Your healing comes from within you, not from me as an "expert."
Flexible boundaries. When culturally appropriate, I'm open to including family members or cultural practices in our work together. Healing doesn't always happen in isolation, and I respect that community involvement might be essential to your process.
Challenging "normal." I question what therapy considers "normal" or "healthy" behavior, recognizing these concepts are culturally defined. What looks like "resistance" might actually be cultural wisdom or protection.
Breaking Free from Shame and Guilt
Shame and guilt often grow stronger when therapy doesn't honor who you truly are. When therapists push ideas of "getting over it" or "moving on" that don't match your cultural values, you might feel even more isolated.
True healing happens when you feel fully seen. When therapy respects all parts of your identity—cultural, spiritual, historical—shame begins to loosen its grip.
Your Invitation to Healing
When trauma therapy honors all of who you are, powerful shifts can happen:
Shame and guilt begin to loosen their grip
Your cultural wisdom becomes a source of strength
Healing extends beyond you to your relationships and community
You discover resilience you may not have recognized
Remember that you deserve therapy that sees and honors your whole self—not just parts that fit a Western model. Your cultural background isn't something to work around in therapy; it can be a powerful source of healing strength.
Whether through brainspotting or another decolonized approach, the path to freedom from trauma should feel like coming home to yourself, not leaving important parts of yourself behind.
I'm committed to creating a space for trauma therapy where you don't have to translate or shrink yourself to receive help. Through approaches like brainspotting, we can work together in ways that respect your unique path.
