Ancestral healing in the Caribbean ^{CEFR B2}

Ancestral healing in the Caribbean frames recovery as a social and cultural process: it asks societies to confront historical wounds so people can lead healthier lives today. Gilbert Martina, an ancestral health educator and former healthcare executive, turned to shamanic practices, nervous-system regulation and ancestral teachings after being deeply affected by Curaçao and St. Maarten’s ENNIA crisis. He blends personal healing with efforts to help others reconnect to cultural wisdom.

Scientific research supports several traditional ideas about trauma. Studies on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) show early trauma changes the body's stress systems and can harm the brain and immune system. Chronic stress increases hormones such as cortisol and can cause inflammation that is linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Neuroscience has identified brain–body pathways that explain how emotional pain can become physical. At the same time, research finds that practices which calm the mind help regulate stress and restore balance.

Across the region, initiatives respond to both historical and current needs. The Caribbean Reparations Commission has opened wider discussion about accountability and emotional repair. Festivals such as Bocas Lit Fest and the Calabash International Literary Festival reclaim storytelling as a way to process pain. Community projects in Curaçao use drumming, dance and ritual, and young people in the diaspora return to herbs, music and ceremonies to reconnect with culture. A 2022 study in Alzheimer’s & Dementia reported dementia rates of less than one percent in adults over 60 in some Indigenous Amazonian communities, compared with eight to eleven percent in Western countries.

Advocates argue that effective healing will combine scientific knowledge with cultural care: teaching emotional intelligence, offering mental health services that respect culture, and creating spaces for elders to pass on wisdom.