Navigating the Path to Liberation:

Unveiling the Intricacies of Decolonization and Whole Self-Healing

In our unceasing journey toward personal and collective liberation, we find the entwining threads of decolonization and self-healing to be paramount. This newsletter delves into the delicate labyrinth of sacred grief, whole self-healing, and restoration within the broader canvas of anti-racism and anti-oppression work. It is imperative to consider that while we navigate through these terrains, the balance, trade-offs, and intrinsic difficulties enmeshed in these processes bear significant implications for all involved.

Sacred Grief: The Mourning that Heals

Embarking on the voyage of decolonization often requires us to unearth and navigate through the potent emotions of sacred grief. This form of mourning extends beyond personal loss, encapsulating a collective bereavement for communal sufferings, historical traumas, and stolen legacies. The acknowledgment and validation of sacred grief is fundamental in laying the foundations for genuine healing, acting as a conduit through which we connect with our ancestors, histories, and the pain that permeates oppressed communities.

Trade-offs and Challenges:

• Balancing personal wellness while navigating through historical and collective pain.

• Ensuring the process of acknowledging grief does not perpetuate trauma or perpetrate a state of perpetual mourning.

Whole Self-Healing: An Ongoing Journey

Whole self-healing implies an encompassing approach that honors our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual entities as interconnected aspects that demand simultaneous nurturing. In a decolonized framework, whole self-healing challenges and subverts oppressive structures, enabling an environment where one’s entirety can freely flourish.

Trade-offs and Challenges:

• Striking equilibrium between advocating for systemic change while also safeguarding personal well-being.

• Addressing and mitigating potential burnout resultant from engaging in intensive healing and advocacy work.

Restoration: Rekindling Lost Connections

The work of decolonization is synonymous with restoration—of identities, lost stories, and suppressed cultures. Through the restoration process, there is a revival of indigenous practices, languages, and knowledge, fostering a rich ground where identities can bloom unencumbered by oppressive frameworks.

Trade-offs and Challenges:

• Resisting the allure of romanticizing indigenous practices and ensuring they are restored and respected in a manner that does not perpetuate appropriation or commodification.

• Handling the potentially polarizing narratives that may arise within the collective in the process of restoration.

Impacts and Considerations in Decolonization Work

Embarking on this work demands a conscientious approach, perpetually alert to the multifaceted impacts of our endeavors in the realms of decolonization and healing. Being trauma-informed means recognizing and respecting the varied emotional and psychological responses that may surface. Thus, adopting an approach that is responsive, adaptive, and considerate of the nuances within impacted communities is vital to affirm the wholesome well-being of every individual involved.

Conclusion

The terrains of decolonization, sacred grief, whole self-healing, and restoration are rich, complex, and often fraught with challenges and difficult trade-offs. As we navigate through them, we are continually learning, adapting, and evolving our strategies to ensure they are equitable, sustainable, and centered on genuine liberation and well-being.

Join Us: Make Shi(f)t Happen Healing Homestead Retreat, February 2024

We invite you to delve deeper into these conversations and explorations at our inaugural Make Shi(f)t Happen Healing Homestead Retreat in February 2024. Let’s embark on this transformative journey together, cultivating spaces where we can explore, learn, heal, and forge forward in our collective pursuit of liberation and healing.

To learn more and become part of this nurturing community, click here.

In unity and healing,

Desireé B Stephens