kokoro

Since the killing of George Floyd there has been a surge of interest from both white folks and BIPOC (black indigenous people of colour) who are going through a wave of self-examination wondering how to deal with the emotional impact of race in our society and how to talk about racism. They are reading books, talking to friends and both white folks and BIPOC are entering into discussions with each other.

 

Since you are here you too must be wondering what to do with the awkward silences, feeling scared of saying the wrong thing when engaging in conversations about racism, sometimes feeling attacked and feeling deep shame and guilt for simply voicing your opinion.  Especially when you don’t think you have done anything wrong.

 

Trying to become more aware, more understanding and being a white ally to BIPOC or holding space for your own existence if you are BIPOC is not that easy- but if you are willing to try then this course can guide you along your way to turning hope into reality.

 

Our intention is to help you where your training did not, and prepare you to talk about how you feel when the topic of race/racism comes up. For those of you who have clients/patients/students and you are not sure what to do or say, this course will also equip you with the tools you need to engage safely with your white and or BIPOC clients, staff, and colleagues.

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If any of this resonates then this is a course that is perfect for you.  In small groups, you will work with a psychotherapist and race specialist and examine your relationship with race. You will have time to practice what you need to say, and what you need to do within a safe learning environment.

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In order for white and BIPOC’s bodies to step into the racial wound together, whilst further wounding is inevitable, a certain amount of unnecessary pain can be avoided if both groups have done enough work within the relative safety of their own cultures first.

 

This is why we are first offering two separate groups, with the aim of bringing white and BIPOC bodies together in a third group to further deepen the work of healing the racial wound.  We will go as far as you are willing and able to go.cilitate this most painful of endeavors, including its mess, anger, and deep suffering.  This is not to negate or patch up the racial wound, but to hold it with love whilst we navigate its raging seas.

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When we think about racism, some people see a relic of the past, in the form of slavery and the suppression of voting rights.  Viewed this way, racism is wrongly relegated to the struggles and conflicts of our ancestors,  tragedies considered absent in the present day.  But racism is modern and it happens now. It is a social and a personal wound that desperately needs exposure, understanding and careful treatment.

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Real healing requires a holistic approach, which demands not only our intellect but also our visceral bodies. Beating hearts and souls must show up and occupy embodied space. 

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On this course we will work with racism in the present, as it arises in the group.  We are addressing: Racism in Real-Time.

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While the historical context is critical to understanding the roots of racism, we tend to focus on the external consequences produced by racism while avoiding the internal reactions and emotions that are simultaneously created.  These internal responses get buried in the unconscious as racial wounds.

 

Racial wounding manifests itself in many ways, such as: anxiety, depression, shame, guilt, identity issues and even hatred.  Such wounds can be expressed through the body in the form of physical ailments such as irritable bowel, hypertension, headaches and low energy.

 

The core issues of racial wounding distort reality to the point where we become disconnected from ourselves and others. Consequently, white folks, consciously or unconsciously, routinely negate the other person’s right to exist. At the same time black, brown and indigenous folk routinely feel that they do not have the right to exist.  This is the cycle of racial suffering in which we all play a part, a pattern we want to bring to the fore and ultimately change. 

 

Racism is a collective phenomenon that does not happen to just an individual in isolation. It is in the group experience that healing and transformation can take place.

 

The goal is to go beyond healing psychological damage and physical injuries, and to also develop and deepen empathy and compassion not only for ourselves, but also for others. A space will be created where everyone has the opportunity to recognize and acknowledge both their personal wounds and the greater social harms.

 

You are invited to participate in an experiential process that engages your mind, heart and soul, and give life to a new racial narrative where racism is experienced for what it really is.