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'I Own My Life Now': Implications of Trauma Survivors' Language Acquisition for a Pedagogy of Empowerment in TESOL

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Title: 'I Own My Life Now': Implications of Trauma Survivors' Language Acquisition for a Pedagogy of Empowerment in TESOL
Language: English
Authors: Sally Rachel Cook (ORCID 0000-0002-2656-802X), Jean Marc Dewaele (ORCID 0000-0001-8480-0977)
Source: TESOL Quarterly. 2026 60(1):S26-S52.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 27
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Refugees, Trauma, Slavery, Crime, Sexual Abuse, Language Usage, Self Expression, Coping, English (Second Language), Safety, Second Language Instruction, Violence, Foreign Countries, Group Therapy
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (London)
DOI: 10.1002/tesq.70068
ISSN: 0039-8322
1545-7249
Abstract: This article explores the language experiences of refugees and asylum seekers who survived sex trafficking, domestic slavery, and sexuality-based persecution. Drawing on a longitudinal study of 15 respondents followed across two time points separated by 6 years, all members of an England-based therapeutic community, we focus here on four individuals, examining how English--initially experienced as a language of exile--became a medium for healing, identity reconstruction, and self-expression. Using Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, our wider study traces how English came to be emotionally and socially inhabited. Healing is framed not as the resolution of trauma but as the reconstruction of self within emotionally safe environments. The analysis highlights the affective, symbolic, and empowering dimensions of later-learned languages, particularly when learning occurs in "relationally secure and emotionally attuned contexts." Three themes are explored: emotional refuge, a sense of sanctuary and belonging, and identity reconstruction leading to greater personal freedom. The article argues that trauma-informed TESOL, when rooted in relational and multilingual pedagogy, can support posttraumatic growth without replicating therapeutic models.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508780
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: 'I Own My Life Now': Implications of Trauma Survivors' Language Acquisition for a Pedagogy of Empowerment in TESOL
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sally+Rachel+Cook%22">Sally Rachel Cook</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2656-802X">0000-0002-2656-802X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jean+Marc+Dewaele%22">Jean Marc Dewaele</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8480-0977">0000-0001-8480-0977</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22TESOL+Quarterly%22"><i>TESOL Quarterly</i></searchLink>. 2026 60(1):S26-S52.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 27
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Refugees%22">Refugees</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trauma%22">Trauma</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Slavery%22">Slavery</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Crime%22">Crime</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sexual+Abuse%22">Sexual Abuse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Usage%22">Language Usage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Expression%22">Self Expression</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Coping%22">Coping</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+%28Second+Language%29%22">English (Second Language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Safety%22">Safety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+Language+Instruction%22">Second Language Instruction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Violence%22">Violence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Group+Therapy%22">Group Therapy</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1002/tesq.70068
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  Data: This article explores the language experiences of refugees and asylum seekers who survived sex trafficking, domestic slavery, and sexuality-based persecution. Drawing on a longitudinal study of 15 respondents followed across two time points separated by 6 years, all members of an England-based therapeutic community, we focus here on four individuals, examining how English--initially experienced as a language of exile--became a medium for healing, identity reconstruction, and self-expression. Using Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, our wider study traces how English came to be emotionally and socially inhabited. Healing is framed not as the resolution of trauma but as the reconstruction of self within emotionally safe environments. The analysis highlights the affective, symbolic, and empowering dimensions of later-learned languages, particularly when learning occurs in "relationally secure and emotionally attuned contexts." Three themes are explored: emotional refuge, a sense of sanctuary and belonging, and identity reconstruction leading to greater personal freedom. The article argues that trauma-informed TESOL, when rooted in relational and multilingual pedagogy, can support posttraumatic growth without replicating therapeutic models.
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        StartPage: S26
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      – SubjectFull: English (Second Language)
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      – TitleFull: 'I Own My Life Now': Implications of Trauma Survivors' Language Acquisition for a Pedagogy of Empowerment in TESOL
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