Trauma Healing in the Baha'i Community Elena Mustakova April 2021

This talk addresses the hidden and largely unaddressed traumatization of Iranian-American Baha'is whose families have suffered multigenerational persecution, and whose general resilience and spiritual commitments mask the need for attention to trauma. We explore the possibility for developing community-wide healing spaces.

[gouyazamani]

This so very important. Hidden traumatization of Iranian men in particular is so intense that it is dominating and not allowing true equality of the two wings of a bird. It is the reason unity is not possible… unless this underlying trauma is addressed we are not able to bring about love, unity or justice.

[sueemmel]

I’m just now seeing this. It’s July 20, 2022. Has there been any follow-up to this much-needed initiative? I’d like to be involved.

[barbralevinepakravan]

Excellent. I’m so grateful to come to this knowledge sharing.

[seifazghandi]

This talk was too general in nature and although it pointed out (hinted) to some areas of concerns, nonetheless was abstract and not poignant. Perhaps it would have helped to have a brief but to the point examples to understand what traumas we are referring. IMHO, these are garden variety of issues, chief among them is the clash of different cultures. I am not sure if the western believers could understand these issues unless and until they themselves go through similar (and not necessarily the same) issues.
I hope I am wrong about the latter statement.

[sueemmel]

Trigger response: I felt quite dismayed when Dr. Mustakova was abruptly interrupted to cut her comments short at the end. How realistic can it be when we allow time to be the predominating force in this kind of work? Although I understand that we live in a time-controlled, manmade world, that’s not where the healing is. If only we’d let Spirit in, give it a chance to get in there where the wounding is, we might get somewhere. This “hurry up, run, there isn’t time, move faster” model isn’t working; in fact, it’s part of the traumatizing effect of an ailing world, it’s seriously out of order. Pressures of time only make it worse for all concerned.

[pamona]

Regrettably, the comments made here are general and unsubstantiated.

Where is the evidence for the bold claim and premise for the "study" that traumatized Iranian Bahá'is are, as you suggest
(a) caught in trauma, which is
b) a silent, unspoken trauma, which in turn
(c) renders them unempathic and
(d) leads to them hogging safe spaces for expressing trauma, which e
(e) excludes others from occupying such a space?

Are you referring to all Bahá'i communities or just the one?

If you are going to use specific Baha'i communities as a laboratory, then out of respect for the work you say you wish to pursue, falsifiable evidence needs to be offered to substantiate your claims.

Expressing what at this stage of your "work" appears to be little more than "hunches" and assumptions is disrespectful and offensive.

These words are not intended to offend but to arouse in you and the team the spirit of proper investigation and scholarship, since without the rigor required for such investigation, your generalizations and bold claims will offend others, not just the people you describe but complete strangers like myself who feel that precious time was wasted on listening to a promising investigation which hasn't even really begun yet.

Good luck!

[dianahope]

I’m just now seeing this. It’s Nov. 20, 2022. Has there been any follow-up to this much-needed initiative? I’d like to be involved.