Cultural Trauma in the Lives of Men in Northern New Mexico

Abstract

This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews to explore the lives of four Nuevomexicano men. The men discussed how their interactions with mental health practitioners reflected the colonial history of the geographic region. The history of Spanish and Anglo colonialism in Northern New Mexico provides a context to the present day encounters the men had with the providers. The study reveals how the men consciously and unconsciously have assumed the role of personal and cultural protectors of the Nuevomexicano culture in Northern New Mexico. Personal, cultural, and societal forces continue to recapitulate the historical trauma in the area. To grieve the historical trauma faced in the geographic region, men need a place where they do not feel the continued need to protect.