Honouring The Spaces in Between

I honour the spaces I have grown in, including my motherland of San Salvador, El Salvador. As a 6-year-old child, I left Central America to begin my journey of migration. It was in this time and place that a new identity was shaped, first through learning English in Grade One and then attending secondary and post-secondary education in Toronto, Canada. I carry both ancestral wounds and healing practices with dreams of carrying the torch for my own family. Assimilation doesn’t mean letting go of who you are. Identity is the narrative we choose to share when the world tells us to rid ourselves of our past to assimilate into new lands.

In retrospect, with Bad Bunny’s steady climb, he shows us how to be an artist with a vibrant narrative, painting his own legacy with a colourful brush. The pride carried forth from humble beginnings is a testament to the threads of Latin America. In his music, he describes the wounds of colonialism, grief, and loss, alongside the celebrations of life and love. His Grammy-winning album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, tells us the words beyond description of these themes and stories we carry. He has shown the world that being authentic and rooted in your storyline is worth more than any accolades. He is unafraid and steadfast in his Puerto Rican identity. An identity he graciously shares with the world.

Within my own narrative, I paint a picture that enmeshes all my senses of being, including the hardships and the triumphs. The processes of honour, celebration, and healing practices as a Salvadoran immigrant and Latina therapist weave the threads of who I am in the spaces I choose to exist in.

Are you looking for a therapist who knows firsthand the intersection of culture and identity? Reach out at martha@marthasegoviacalles.ca to see if I’m a fit for your therapeutic needs.