An Autoethnographic Therapeutic Performative Inquiry on My Lived Experiences as a Black Woman Co-victim of Homicide in Canada

“Anansi Came” was an autoethnographic therapeutic performative inquiry that explored my lived experiences as a homicide co-victim (Center for Victim Research, 2020) of Afro-Caribbean descent and the impact of “cumulative exposure to lifetime adversity” (Silver et al., 2021, p. 5). Informed by my practice as a dramatherapist and registered psychologist and safeguarded by the best practices of trauma work, this research engaged in a process that combined dramatherapy and performance autoethnography with the principles of engaged pedagogy. The script and performance that I created through this process were the focus of my dissertation. Two questions framed this research: (1) What are my lived experiences as an Afro-Caribbean woman who has survived the loss of a loved one to homicide? (2) How might an embodied storytelling approach, adapted from The Story Within (Silverman, 2020) process, assist me in my healing process, with the potential to encourage others to explore their traumatic experiences? Data within my personal stories, the script I developed and performed, and the audiences’ post-performance feedback uncovered how engaging in embodied storytelling can promote self-discovery, resilience, and trauma recovery. Using dramatherapy strategies provided me with the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to identify misinformation and myths society communicated to me about being a Black homicide survivor. The Story Within process was instrumental in reclaiming my voice by building internal resources that helped me manage my somatic (body-based) experiences and process habitual trauma-related responses (Ogden, Paine & Fisher, 2006) within a safe communal healing space. By disrupting the silencing and dismissal of my experiences as a Black co-victim of homicide and fostering a sense of belonging, my embodiment as a practice and pathway to healing has enabled me to regulate a nervous system impacted by years of oppression. While the focus of this study is on understanding my experiences and assisting my ...