They say that those who keep animals in captivity train them when they're young to believe they are not strong enough to break free or fight their captors.
It has always reminded me of the time I lived in domestic violence and the way people live in this society.
You learn to believe that you can't break free and survive on your own.
That a life with pain and suffering is "normal" and that you need someone else to tell you what to do and how to live your life.
But inside of every animal in captivity,
and inside of you,
there's an inner knowledge that lets you know the truth of who you are.
It reminds you that something is missing, that something isn't right.
That this isn't how you are meant to live your life.
mari mari, iñche mandy kvyen pingen
Hello, my name is Mandy Kvyen Martini Chihuailaf.
Kvyen meaning Moon and Chihuailaf, Mist Spreading Over a Lake.
I'm a Mapuche writer and teacher, and since 2017 I've helped people in over 35 countries heal from stress and trauma through my online program SLG. With the help of my people's kuyfi kimün, ancient Indigenous knowledge that has been passed down for generations, I teach exactly what I did to heal from domestic violence, sexual abuse, among other traumatic experiences.
My goal is to help you with two life-changing things.
1. Help you understand that to live with trauma is not natural. It's normal in Western and industrial societies, but it's not natural. Only when you're clear on this can you learn how to change it.
And if you decide to learn from me...
2. To help you understand yourself and your natural responses so well that no matter what this world throws at you, you can still live a life you love. A life free from stress and trauma and all the destruction it causes.
In 2020, my great-uncle, Elicura (Transparent Stone) Chihuailaf, became the first Indigenous author to receive Chile's National Prize for Literature. In one of his books, he writes that what we see today is a "sickness of uniformity." The result of only hearing and seeing one perspective, one worldview and way of living, is that we don't question if it makes sense.
It becomes the perceived truth.
And we see people fight for this "truth" even if it makes them sick, even if it makes our land, this world, sick.
Because of this, I spent over 8 years of my life living with trauma, learning how to cope and manage symptoms like anxiety, panic attacks and depression, instead of allowing my natural responses and the cycle of survival finish so that I could heal.
Every person who comes to SLG for help shares the same thing with me.
All you have to do is look around you and you'll notice the same.
1884 was the year my family and our people were put on reservations. My great-great grandfather, Lonko Chihuailaf (Chief Mist Spreading Over a Lake)- wearing a Western suit in the photo they took the day they took our home and freedom away- fought in the last war against the colonizers. He was the Chief of Kechurewe (Five Sacred Places), one of the biggest Mapuche communities on our territory. The children in this photo, my great-grandfather Alberto, tia Maria, tio Carlos, and their siblings, were the first generation of children to be forced to attend missionary schools.
Ever since, every generation of my family have fought to protect our traditional knowledge, our land, and our way of living as Indigenous people.
What you see me do here is just my "modern" version of that. Whether you join SLG, sign up for the email newsletter, or just follow along on social media–– this is the reason. To protect, to keep our knowledge and worldview alive, to provide funding for our people and communities, to help us live as we always have.
- Lakwiita, SLG Member
"I owe you my very life. I was at a point last summer where I could no longer keep moving forward without something to help heal me. I was at the absolute end of my rope. If I can heal from this then so can others."
- Asta, SLG Member
"It's been a year now since I signed up and it has transformed everything! I feel so light and happy in my body, but also a feeling of trust that my body can get through anything. I just wanted to say thank you! This has really changed my future and life in so many ways and I feel that everything is possible. "
- Brittany, SLG Member
"I hope people see the value in what you're offering... I've been working through module 1 and I would pay again and again to feel the amount of relief I felt from your program. And this is just the beginning."
- Chloe, SLG Member
"I notice now that sometimes when I'll think about something in the past, I don't feel triggered about it. I can think about it and don't have any reaction to it like I used to. My life now will be so different."
It was just one of those days when I found myself extra tired of always hearing the same. No matter where I turned, there was the same perspective, beliefs, and way of seeing life and healing, with no room for what Indigenous cultures and knowledge can teach us.
So I figured–– why not start an email community with others, like you, hopefully, who feel the same way?
If you like stories, old teachings, and a little sarcasm once in a while, kvme akukonpayaymvn ruka, welcome home!
Now hurry and get your butt inside:)
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