Decolonial Journeys: Queer Chicano therapists alchemizing suffering

Abstract: This presentation will include autoethnographical accounts of three therapists who also self-identify as queer/two-spirit and mestizo (of the indigenous Mexican diaspora). They also share the archetype of the ‘healer’ in their respective lives as they currently navigate the American mental health system as therapists. In their attempts to decolonize, they honor practices of ancestral and indigenous medicine and serve as guides to those who come seeking resolve from their suffering. These presenters will provide accounts of their personal trajectories and initiation into their path of healing, as well as their confrontations with colonialism and coloniality which they have had to contend with in as part of their journey towards spiritual decolonization.

Presenter bios: 

Eduardo (he/him) is a doctoral student, love coach, couple’s therapist, and initiate of the Q’eqchi’ Maya priesthood. He works with queer, multicultural individuals in his therapy and coaching practices, while his intellectual interests attempt to bridge decolonization with ancestral wisdom. Eduardo is currently completing his dissertation in Jungian and decolonial psychologies. Hector (he/him) is a master’s student at Portland State University finishing his advanced year in the School of Social Work. He is currently completing his graduate field practicum at a Latino-serving agency in a historically underserved rural community in Southern Oregon and collaborates with an interdisciplinary team to shape Latinx-focused mental health services. Hector is also a dancer, singer, and musician who has trained internationally in Mexican folk music. Manuel (he/him) is a doctoral candidate at the Pacifica Graduate Institute where he is obtaining his Ph.D. in Depth Psychology with emphases in integrative healing practices and entheogenic plant medicines. He is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and has a private practice based out of the Central Valley of Northern California. Manuel specializes in working within the intersections of LGBTQ+ identity, personality disorders, and what Christina and Stan Grof have termed 'spiritual emergencies'.

Affiliation: Pacifica Graduate Institute