摘要：In 2010, Taffy Brodesser-Akner published an article entitled, “How Childbirth Caused my
PTSD,” on Salon.com. Much to my surprise, her claims that she was seriously traumatized by childbirth
encountered strong resistance and disbelief. In trying to understand the source of this resistance, I
discovered a type of violence, which I refer to as “metaphysical violence,” that is often overlooked, yet
prevalent, in what many people in the United States understand as normal childbirth practices and
protocols. In this essay, I will use María Lugones’sPilgramages/Peregrinajes to offer a detailed account
of what constitutes metaphysical violence, how it functions, and why it is so damaging to at least 9% of
post-partum women who meet the criteria for PTSD and the 18% of post-partum women who show some
sign of the disorder. Then, I will offer suggestions for how we can help women who may be victims of
metaphysical violence during birth avoid some of the trauma it so often induces.
