In the current version of the world, we are expected to take everything in stride and function. Function well. Do/take/smoke/drink/handle whatever is necessary in order to earn. And if you can’t? Well, some category of unable awaits you with an added stamp of shame.
Imagine a place where those expectations are lies. Where the scars your mind bears are treated kindly, allowed to heal in peace. In community. That is what we will discuss at our next meeting: a blueprint on how to take the stigma away from mental health for one another.
Here are some places to start :
Esmé Weijun Wang’s lovely piece on pain and how she uses the power of story/writing to heal.
An interview with Roxane Gay turned into an empathetic space to not talk about her trauma in Hunger, but discuss the transformative power of vulnerability.
An informative and brief Insta series by Dr. Han Ren on how western psychology is tied to white supremacy (parts 1, 2, and 3)
Dr Dawn Belkin Martinez talking about the Liberation Health Framework, her contribution to changing the biases of mental health practice.
This meeting will be on Zoom so no amount of distance is an obstacle. All are welcome to join us on February 28th at 11:30 AM, PST. Make sure to RSVP for meeting details.
See you soon.
The Desert Salon is not a class: it rejects the roles of teacher and student. The Desert Salon is radical: it rejects the divisions that the world makes between us based on skin, ableism, sex, gender, or class. Past meetings have discussed things as massive as the the Imperialist White-Supremacist Capitalist Heteropatriarchy and as local as water price changes. Being a radical is not a requirement, but you just might be inspired.