Episode 7: Overcoming generational trauma with Priscilla Maria Gutiérrez
In this episode of the Stack’n’Days Podcast, Ray is joined by certified trauma recovery coach, Priscilla Maria Gutiérrez. Priscilla shares her journey with alcoholism and discusses her work helping others overcome trauma and achieve their goals. Priscilla's story highlights the impact of generational trauma on individuals and how it can manifest in unexpected ways.
Ray and Priscilla discuss the impact of generational trauma and how it can manifest in unexpected ways and the importance of culturally-informed recovery programs.
Priscilla's Background
Priscilla works with clients to achieve their goals with a trauma-informed lens, particularly those from minority backgrounds who face limiting beliefs due to their culture. She shares how her relationship with alcohol was characterized by binge drinking between ages 17 and 20, after which she abruptly stopped. Priscilla's parents, uncles, and aunts did not visibly consume alcohol due to negative examples set by their alcoholic fathers and grandfathers. Priscilla's mother grew up in a household that doubled as a bar and suffered trauma from seeing drunk men behave badly.
Exploring Alcohol Abuse in Priscilla's Family
Despite the examples set by their family, Priscilla and her brother both developed alcohol substance abuse issues. Priscilla believes that her alcohol abuse was a coping mechanism for unresolved trauma from childhood, while her brother's alcohol abuse was a way to cope with the pressure of being a first-generation college student and dealing with the expectations set by being the only male in their family.
Growing up with Cultural Expectations and Family Trauma
Priscilla discusses her upbringing in a Latino family and how cultural expectations impacted her relationship with her brother. She shares how her brother required more attention from their parents, which made her feel like she was in the background. Priscilla talks about being sent to a wilderness program in Utah as a preventative measure after her brother struggled with addiction. The lack of diversity in the program made it challenging for Priscilla to be herself.
Struggling with Alcoholism in College
Priscilla shares that she quit one of the alcohol treatment programs she was in because she wanted to go back to school. She couldn't imagine not graduating on time. However, her drinking intensified and put her in dangerous situations. She blacked out at a party and this led to her reflecting on the fact that this was not the first dangerous situation she had put herself in. Her childhood trauma had always given her rape anxiety, and this event became the last straw for her.
The Long-term Consequences of Untreated Trauma and Addiction
Priscilla shares how her untreated trauma and addiction impacted her life and relationships. Priscilla highlights the importance of safe spaces for people of color to share their experiences and the need for recovery programs that are inclusive and understanding of cultural differences.
Book recommendations
Priscilla shares some book recommendations that have helped her better understand generational trauma.
It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color by Natalie Y. Gutiérrez LMFT (Author), Jennifer Mullan PsyD (Foreword)
Priscilla’s details
Website: www.priscillamaria.com
Instagram: @cyclebreakercoach