Jessica Tlazoltiani Zamarripa is the co-founder of the Institute of Chicanx Psychology in Austin, Texas. Her work with the institute has been to help others root and reclaim their own ancestral lineage and heal intergenerational trauma. Through Nahuatl language and inspiration, she and her husband Dr. Manuel Zamarripa work to empower others through ongoing courses at the Institute. "We have deep strengths in the teachings and the medicines that our ancestors left for us," she tells POPSUGAR Latina. "Though many of them got burned and destroyed in the invasion/conquest, we kept the sacred fire alive in the kitchens with the mujeres. We kept the stories and orally passed down the medicines and the rituals and the ceremonies through cuentos, platicas and cantos. We have powerful energies for everything that is: fire, water, wind, cosmos, tierra, all of our hearts, sacred directions and much, much more." Zamarripa believes that there are so many energies and concepts left from our ancestors to help guide our way. "There's an undeniable magic of who we are, the resilience, the medicine, the relationships to the natural world, natural cycles like the seasons and the cycle of our breath. Magic in our relationships to all that exist.
We can't deny… We have so many cultural wounds and yet, so many cultural
strengths to help us be resilient to address those cultural wounds," she adds.
Where to find her:
@xicanpsych
