Religious and Spiritual Beliefs in Transgenerational Trauma and Resiliencies Linked to the Partition of India

ABSTRACT Although there is a body of literature on the importance of spirituality in healing from transgenerational trauma, there is correspondingly little written, from a systemic perspective, about the partition of India (1947). This article is based on a small‐scale, autoethnographic, qualitative research study, in which I interviewed first‐generation, second‐generation and third‐generation survivors of the partition of India. A number of themes emerged from the material, such as the meaning of home; the erasure of language; secrets in the family; mind–body connections; community and family violence; and the significance of faith and religious and spiritual beliefs. In this article, I will focus on the role of religious and spiritual beliefs in transgenerational trauma and will explore the subthemes that emerged, namely partitioning, visible and invisible differences and resiliencies. I found that all the participants in my research study made use of spiritual and community resources to heal from trauma. Further, intercultural and interfaith relationships served as a protective factor in promoting resilience and healing from transgenerational trauma. It seemed that the adversity of the trauma of partition affected the participants, at both individual and community levels, in ways that could be negative, positive or even transformative. I make a case for systemic psychotherapy to incorporate an assessment of their clients’ spiritual practices through a range of visual methods and tools such as the ecomap and cultural genogram and an original tool called the ‘pneumagram’, which explores differences in spiritual and religious beliefs and values. I will conclude by touching on the ubiquitous theme of the silencing of the narratives of the Partition and the resiliencies of indigenous people in engaging with community and spiritual resources.