Envisioning A Community-Based Ecosystem Approach To Healing Our Village
I ran a Fellowship program in Detroit that was based on my research findings in Northern California. It was truly a remarkable experience that deserves its own blog. I insisted on having the sessions videotaped, so it will take me quite some time to give the data the attention that the eight-month program deserves. However, there is one activity that I want to share in this blog because it was the evidence of a concept that I continually struggle to prove. People who live under the constant stress of racism and oppression tend to emulate self-hatred, either overtly or subconsciously. It is very difficult to broach this subject with people who are living within a toxic ecosystem, because they think they are fine. I've had people attempt to convince me that the metabolic syndrome, muscle weakness, pain and allergies that they are living with are just the normal wear and tear signs of life. The emotional eating and the wine they must have to help them relax or sleep are just social culturing. As I mention in my Journey To The Dream blog, I've worked with clients who can't even look at many of their own body parts, let alone love them. We interviewed one of our podcast guests who told us that he always had a difficult relationship with his mother because he looks just like his father. I'll dive into that topic more deeply when the podcast is released, but this is a prime example of projecting the pain of unresolved trauma onto another person which is especially harmful within families. At some point, we will have to put down the drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, bingeing and other distractions such as workaholism and proving one's worth in order to face and heal our pain. As long as we remain distracted, we will be easy to manipulate, vulnerable to disease and stuck within cyclical self-sabotaging behaviors that keep us from discovering and enjoying the benefits of true fulfillment. We turn on ourselves and on each other because we haven't learned how to heal, and we don't know what to do with our pain.
The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing. ☥ ☥ Toni Morrison ☥
Truth is not to be found outside. No teacher, no scripture can give it to you. It is inside you and if you wish to attain it, seek your own company. Be with yourself. ॐ ॐ Osho ॐ
As a step in the journey to self-love, I wanted to create an exercise within the Fellowship that would help a person to see the greatness in themselves. I called the exercise "power shots." I showed the participants pictures of celebrities who looked "powerful" in the picture. We talked about what aspect of the picture made a person look a certain way. We then shared examples of when we've felt strong, powerful or confident. Before we went on a break, I told them that Timashion Jones, our photographer, was set up in the hallway and would be taking power shots of them. The assignment was to think about a time when they felt good about themselves and then go out into the hallway and strike a pose. Our workshop went on for a full day so they would have plenty of time to get their power shots. The response was mixed. I got a few comments like, "I don't have all my make up with me." and "Dressed like this?" But most people were up for the challenge, and everyone participated. They were surprised at how much fun they had. I allowed them to take as many power shots as they wanted and promised to give them online access to their pictures. I wanted to surprise everyone by blowing up the pictures to poster size and posting them all around the room for our next session so that they could see themselves. When the pictures were ready, I could barely get out of Kinkos, because the entire staff was enamored with these pictures. Then, the guy who picked me up in the van to take me back to the hotel had to see all the pictures. He was so inspired, that I ended up inviting him and his son to the next session and we did another round of power shots. He took a wonderful picture with his son that is featured in the gallery above. It was truly remarkable. I was almost brought to tears as I worked with my colleague to place the poster boards of their power shots all around the room. When they came into the room, I didn't say anything. I just let them discover themselves. It was really cool to watch them see themselves and each other in this way.
Several weeks later, I heard about an outdoor conference that celebrated art and photography. Who knew? So, we got a booth and displayed the pictures for the community. Our booth was constantly full of people who said, "I've never seen Black People like this." I truly wished that we had the budget to go on tour with the images, but after the organization shut down, my Detroit-based colleague, who had been an enormously helpful partner with me during the Fellowship, had the wonderful idea of giving the posters to the participants.
I share this story because representation is essential for the health and healing of Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant People. We have to begin to see ourselves as we truly are and not how we have been marginalized by others.
Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence. ॐ ॐ Osho ॐ
I had an epiphany while having dinner at swanky restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I loved my work trips there because I could treat myself to a fabulous meal and go to one of my favorite spas. When I sat down, I immediately noticed a white man who was highly offended that they let me in and seated me somewhat near him. He stared at me with disgust. At first, I ignored him, but then I realized that there was no reason for me to have a bad experience because of one ignorant person. So, I dug deep into my Qigong breathing and found a serene place inside me. From that place came a slight smile and with that presence, I turned my head to face him and looked into his eyes. He was outraged. I refused to take my eyes off of him and continued to breathe deeply. He called for his check, and within 15 minutes he was gone. I had a fabulous meal with amazing service. I decided that I have given ignorant people enough of my time and energy. Whether or not I choose to engage the person, I will no longer empower them to change how I feel, and I'm certainly not allowing a person who knows nothing about me to define who I am, or what I can do.
The gallery above the image of Santa Fe offers some of the pictures from my "power shots" project. If you've been watching the short "Why I Am A Health And Healing Ambassador" videos throughout this blog, you'll notice that many of those interviews were shot inside the booth during the conference and you can see some of the power shots in the background.
My whole love and respect is for the person who accepts [themself] totally, as [they are. They have] courage. [They have] courage to face the whole pressure of the society which is bent upon splitting [them] into divisions – into good and bad, into saint and sinner. [They are] really a brave, courageous being who stands against the whole history of [human kind], of morality, and declares to the skies [their] reality, whatever it is. ॐ ॐ Osho ॐ
Everyone has a part to play in the healing and evolution of our village.
Suggestions For Co-Creating A Healthy Community-Based Ecosystem
If you have not studied the following blogs, I highly recommend them to people who are serious about co-creating a community-based ecosystem for healing our village. Study can mean read, experience (participate in breathing ☥ movement exercises, etc.), think, journal, apply the concepts, then repeat the process at least twice a year to see if/how you've evolved in consciousness. Resist the temptation to read the blogs solely on an intellectual level or rush through the blogs to get to the end (that is a sign of an emotional addiction). There is no finish line that you must cross. The Journey To Radiance is an exciting learning odyssey that improves your life through self-love ☥ transformation. Please also check out my introduction on the Blog page ☥ trust that you will be led to the resources you need when you need them.
My affirmation is that you will continue to study all the blogs at your own pace over time. Study alone to deepen the bond of trust between your body ☥ mind ☥ emotions ☥ SPIRIT. Create a blog club and get together with trusted friends/family and read the blog aloud together for communal healing. Begin with a basic breathing exercise and set intentions for co-creating a safe ☥ brave space for people to share (suggestions for healing circles are listed in the notes of Chapter 3). Pause whenever a concept or an emotion arises that you want to explore. Get together regularly to support ☥ hold each other accountable to healing, allowing iron to sharpen iron. The blogs contain universal concepts that evolve with you as you reach higher levels of understanding. Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant People have been the subjects of racism and oppression using psychological manipulation, and these techniques have been refined over many centuries (i.e. the types of mental manipulation tactics employed by people like Hitler who convinced his soldiers to march innocent people into gas chambers/commit other forms of mass murder). In order to heal and come back to our true selves, we'll need a dedicated effort that we sustain over time. You were created for a unique and divine purpose. No one can do what you do how you do it, so I can offer a blueprint, but I cannot say what that effort is for you. However, if you begin the journey to radiance, divine intelligence will guide you through your intuition. All you need to do is stay connected to the truest part of yourself, listen and then act on what you hear.
Read ☥ Heal ☥ Share ☥ Support ☥ Repeat
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Epilogue ☥ Your Treasure Map For Self-Care
Thank you for taking the time to actively engage in your own self-care. If you have ever spent time at a hammam ☥ steam room ☥ sauna, you will notice that it is a comfortable space because you are wearing minimal or no clothing and you can just be yourself. However, after a short time, it starts to get hot, and you begin to sweat.
This is a good thing because you are helping your body to eliminate toxins. If you want to detoxify your body correctly you will:
☥ Breathe slowly and deeply to help your body adjust to the intensity of the heat.
☥ Sip water every 15 minutes to stay hydrated.
☥ Have a piece of fruit ☥ pumpkin seeds ☥ favorite healthy snack available.
☥ Take a shower after excessive sweating.
☥ Go into a cold room/take a cold plunge/cold water rinse off to cool down before doing
another sweat and to stimulate your lymphatic system.
☥ Go for a walk in nature, spend time in meditation ☥ contemplation, have a healthy meal
and give your body some time to complete the healing process (which could include
sending you messages through your intuition about your next steps).
As you journey through ☥ interact with the blogs ☥ other content on phyllishubbard.com, you might have an insight that causes you to suddenly feel mentally ☥ emotionally “hot” -- which could show up as:
☥ “Ah-ha” moments
☥ A hop-in-the-bed-and-cry-yourself-to-sleep or fetal position crying time of intensive
self-care
☥ Intense feelings of anger/regret about something in your past
☥ Disorientation caused by the realization of truth
☥ Strong reactions such as heightened senses, vomiting; an urge to release emotions
such as yelling/screaming, going outside for fresh air/to take a walk, punching a
boxing bag/pillow; a feeling of tightness in the chest, etc.
If you find yourself having a strong reaction, I encourage you to flow with it while helping your body to release mental ☥ emotional toxins by using the same five self-care strategies listed above for releasing physical toxins. Your body talks to you all the time, but unconscious adherence to social conditioning can mute its messages.
Strong reactions are your body’s way of letting you know that there is a deeper issue requiring your attention.
Keep revisiting the content ☥ utilizing the five self-care strategies until you no longer experience the strong reaction, release fears and have identified ☥ transformed ☥ removed the root cause of the issue. You will find additional strategies throughout this website that you can add to your mental health self-care toolkit.
Self-Care Sustainability Suggestions
☥ A Cross-Cultural Healing Haven – read this blog to understand the purpose of
phyllishubbard.com and the meaning behind its organization ☥ symbols.
☥ Revisit the content periodically and make a note of if/how your perceptions have
evolved. Check out our blog page for an experiential healing journey.
☥ Check out the other pages on phyllishubbard.com:
☥ Home - watch the videos. Click on the images in the Spiritual Guidance
section. Each image has a story that might assist your self-care journey. Learn
about other spiritual practices.
☥ About - Learn about my background ☥ reasons for co-creating
phyllishubbard.com with Spirit. Explore healing through the image carousel and
videos.
☥ Shop ☥ Kamitology - Purchase and download vital tools for your personal growth
☥ development. Order The Chakra Emotions Energy Wisdom Quick Start Toolkit to
help you identify and heal feelings as they arise.
☥ Reclaiming Our Humanity - Help us develop and disseminate video courses.
☥ Rise TV - Practice breathing and movement exercises and deepen your
understanding of healing through the experiences of community members.
Check back periodically to discover new/re-experience the content.
☥ Journey - This is your invitation to own the journey to radiance. Experience the
journey and download healing resources to share with your friends, family and
community.
When you share healing, healing comes back to and flows through you.
About Sharing ...
During my first presentation to an all-Black audience, I introduced 20-year-old research on the hazards of sitting. I presented the research because I noticed that people sat for way too long at convenings and realized that the information was not disseminated to Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant communities. I was determined to intentionally include this research, often surprising participants by getting people up to stretch. After more than 13 years of intentional work, Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant People are just barely beginning to normalize conscious movement. We still have a long way to go, and it is important that we share what we know as much as we can to prevent the disenfranchisement of wellness information to Black ☥ Indigenous ☥ Immigrant communities.
Please do not keep phyllishubbard.com to yourself. We will not co-create a better world until we heal our current, past/childhood traumas. We will not love others until we learn to love ourselves.
Copy/Paste Version Of A Full Citation Example:
Hubbard, P. S. (2020, September 27). Epilogue ☥ Your Treasure Map For Self-Care. PHYLLISHUBBARD.COM. <https://www.phyllishubbard.com/post/epilogue>
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