Til We Have Voices: A Feminist-Relational Approach to Understanding the Process of Healing and Becoming Whole Through Lifespan Integration Therapy

This study opened up avenues for exploring the dismembering effects of trauma and the “re-membering” process of healing. Six participants engaged in a 60- to 90-minute semi-structured interview modelled after Elliot’s Change Interview. Utilizing the Listening Guide, the research team identified voices speaking about trauma and recovery. The voices were grouped into three categories: the voices of trauma’s dismembering effects, the voices of turning towards the pain, and the voices of healing. Among the voices of trauma’s dismembering effects were disconnection, dissociation, impasse, and pain. Voices of turning towards the pain included the voices of active acceptance and of mourning. Voices of healing included the voices of personal essence, integration, astonishment, agency, and calm and peace. Examining these voices, we traced patterns of shifting from fragmentation, aloneness, and numbness to wholeness, connection, and presence. This progression highlights the fulfilled potential of personhood through the transformational process of healing in therapy.