16 Weeks of Guided Relational Healing: Weekly 90-minute, trauma-informed meetings focused on cultural safety and collective care, fostering the rhythm of care (rooting, not reaching).
Cultural Centering & Ancestral Wisdom: The framework is rooted in Filipino resilience and the Third Culture Perspective, viewing your pain through the lens of cultural shame (Hiya), not clinical pathology. Includes guided prompts and ancestral mapping exercises for unburdening work between sessions.
Specialized Trauma Psychoeducation: Focus is strictly on healing from relational betrayal, infidelity, and cheating—a niche that requires specialized clinical tools combined with deep cultural insight.
Embodied Healing with Kapwa: We view struggles as the impact of systemic and inherited relational distress. Healing is a collective, sovereign act utilizing the kapwa (shared inner self) concept. Includes weekly exercises for somatic regulation (nervous system tools) to process shame and silence.
Beyond Forced Estrangement: Guidance toward restorative repair and relational justice. Define compassionate boundaries that preserve dignity while navigating complex family ties influenced by Pakikisama.
Direct Access & Sanctuary: Receive guidance from a Relational Guide & Ancestral Steward (Michellene Burke). Join a safe, closed container with a maximum of 8 participants to cultivate a lasting, healing collective.
Who is The Silk Bamboo Collective for?
This 16-week group is specifically designed for API women and mothers seeking specialized support to heal from relational betrayal trauma (infidelity, cheating, and generational infidelity). If you are struggling with the pressure to keep silent (Hiya) or maintain false harmony after relational rupture, this is your sanctuary.
My family expects me to just forgive and move on for the sake of Pakikisama. How will this group help me?
We recognize the pressure of obligatory harmony and dedicate time to redefining it on your terms. You will learn to set compassionate boundaries and define relational justice without shaming your family or forced estrangement. The goal is choosing your well-being over people-pleasing.
I feel deep shame (Hiya) about this betrayal, especially due to religious or cultural beliefs. Can I talk about it?
Yes. We operate from a trauma-informed lens that fully acknowledges the compounded pain of cultural shame (Hiya), religious guilt, and the pressure of machismo and patriarchal systems. This is a non-judgmental space built for Ancestral Reclamation, where silence is mended not as trauma, but as a sacred pause. You will be seen and heard without shame.
How does this group avoid codependency? I feel like I'm always carrying everyone's emotions.
We actively interrupt patterns of codependency and perpetual caretaking. We utilize a Relational Sovereignty model—meaning we guide you to reclaim your individual emotional agency. The work is focused on gently releasing what you've carried for generations, clarifying what is your responsibility versus what is another's, and embracing the Rooting, not Reaching philosophy.
Is this group therapy? Can it replace my individual counseling?
No. This is a highly specialized, Trauma-Informed, Betrayal-Trauma Trained, Psychoeducational Support Group, led by a clinical trauma expert. It is a powerful complement to individual therapy but is not a substitute for one-on-one counseling. We offer group psychoeducation, not individual clinical therapy.
Why 16 weeks? Isn't that a long commitment?
Healing from inherited relational and betrayal trauma requires rhythm and depth, not a rush. The 16-week duration ensures ample time to safely metabolize the pain, integrate somatic practices, and solidify the emotional agency that allows you to confidently choose your future and your lineage.