“Sharing my story has been part of my healing process”: how Native women survivors heal from IPV

Four out of five Native women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. Culture, Native identity, and other socioeconomic factors influence how survivors experience seeking support and healing. High rates of IPV among Native women indicate an urgent public health need to address the long-term implications of being a survivor. This study explores how Native women in California seek healing as survivors of violence through stories shared in Community Circles and Oral Histories supported by collaborations with local Indigenous community organizations in Southern California. Seeking support and healing for Native women survivors of IPV are layered with their identities as Indigenous women, historical oppression, and its resulting intergenerational traumas. Healing from the violence has cultural implications, amplifying the need for community-based systems of support that are Indigenous-centered. For AIAN women survivors of IPV, healing transcends beyond their selves, extending to their families, tribal communities, and future generations. Culturally-rooted systems of support that cultivate Indigenous values of connection and healing are needed.