A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Health and Well-Being of Women Previously Trafficked

Abstract

Using narrative inquiry, I inquired into the experiences of health and well-being of women previously trafficked in Canada. Narrative inquiry is considered a research methodology and a method of understanding human experiences as storied phenomena under study (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). By engaging in monthly visits and ongoing conversations over nine months, the participants and I slowly co created a relational space where we co composed stories that reflected their experiences and our relationship. As we lived alongside each other, the entanglement of our stories shaped ways to inquire into experiences. Drawing on the experiences of three participants, T, Wolfie, and Phoenix, made visible the complexities and the multiplicity of these entanglements. Their experiences of health and well-being have brought forward insights into the dominant narratives about identities that are based on preconceived notions. Their experiences challenge the politics of pity and risk-management strategies within anti-trafficking strategies in Canada. They call forth the need for attentiveness as they seek narrative coherence in their lives amidst liminal spaces and silences. As they told some of their stories without words, I was called to think about who I am in requiring that their silence be broken to understand their meanings of health and well-being. By retelling and reflecting on the stories that they shared in our conversations, I identified two narrative threads that make known the distinct entanglements of their experiences. Attending closely to their lives brought forward the personal, practical, and social significance of this work, which has implications for advancing nursing knowledge and practice and the social responsibilities we hold as people and nurses in the everyday encounter with women who have been previously trafficked.