Voyages of self-healing: Autobiographical therapeutic performance in the diaspora

This article describes the reflections and insights attained through the process of developing and performing autobiographical therapeutic performances (ATPs) in the diaspora, by discussing the experiences of three Spanish-speaking dramatherapists who migrated to the United States and Switzerland. The pieces were created in the context of their dramatherapy trainings: Cuban-born Idalmis García graduated from the drama therapy programme at NYU, Spaniard Ramón Guitart from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco, and Mexican-born, Elke Jorzyk, trained at the Swiss Dramatherapy Institute. Their ATPs were facilitated, either in person or online, by Susana Pendzik, an Argentinian-born dramatherapist with a long history of migration. The article explores themes concerned with cultural identity, language, migration, transgenerational trauma and ancestry as they appear in the ATPs. The authors articulate the need to recreate one’s cultural heritage in the diasporic space and the importance of keeping the connection to one’s mother tongue and ancestry for emotional well-being.