The subject of recollection of traumatic collective memories resulting from a single, unexpected
event is still a new phenomenon in the trauma-related literature, especially in the context of
exiled political refugees. The focus of this research is to explore the nexus between Chilean
exiles' personal meanings of Pinochet's unexpected arrest and release in England, and the
construction of group memories of traumatic life experiences triggered by these events.
To access the individual and collective meaning experiences of the members of this
community, this study used narrative inquiry. The participants created individual narratives of
these events, and they shared them in a group format. Through sharing these experiences in a
group setting, the participants created a "cultural group narrative." This embodied their
individual and collective experiences, their lived experiences of exile, their adaptation to a new
culture and their re-experiencing of traumatic memories and life events when hearing the news of
Pinochet. Because the researcher is also Chilean and because Latin American culture is
collective in nature, she played a dual role as both investigator and participant.
This study has several implications for counselling practice, education and supervision.
It provides further knowledge and understanding of the historical, political and cultural issues
related to traumatic experiences in both individuals and groups, as well as further understanding
of the events or situations that trigger the re-appearance of traumatic memories. The results of
this research also provide important information for therapists working in the areas of cross-cultural
counselling and the development and improvement of therapeutic approaches for dealing
with traumatic memories among political refugees and immigrant populations.
In a broader context, this study enhances the understanding of similar processes in other
ethnic communities. Finally, this study contributes to the documentation of the collective
trauma processes of the Chilean community in Vancouver, Canada.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/12013 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Espinoza, Adriana E. |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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