As a counseling psychologist, a healer, and a Black woman with a love ethic to my activism, this project is one of my contributions to the Movement for Black Lives. I was trained to use guided meditation and loving kindness to reduce stress at Emory University in their counseling center’s Stress Clinic, and recently I had the idea to couple that skill with the sole purpose of healing racial trauma. I’ve been writing about Black Lives Matter, doing group healing work on the University of Kentucky’s campus, and doing educational work in various venues. All of that has value to me, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to create something that was accessible and had reach.
Racial trauma exacts a psychological and physiological toll on people of color, and those involved in the Movement for Black Lives are especially vulnerable to hourly personal, emotional, and physical racist attacks. Guided meditation is one way to assist in calming a heightened state of distress, affirming one’s value and humanity, and recentering with love for Black people. I’ve used guided meditation, especially those created by Mary and Richard Maddux at MeditationOasis.com, to sleep well, heal, increase gratitude, and cultivate more patience. Their gracious provision of the music for this meditation is greatly appreciated.
Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma (featured on Huffington Post)
A 17 minute guided meditation using mindfulness, affirmation, and metta (loving-kindness)
A year ago, I first shared the Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma. When I developed it, I knew that I would eventually create a complementary meditation for White people who want to partner in liberation with Black people. Partnering allows us reach the goal of healing and liberation in a more loving and unified manner, but to be an ally requires an anti-racist mindset. In our current world, that requires a daily practice of meditation on Whiteness and the value and humanity of Black people.
The Ally + Accomplice Meditation maintains a similar format, but the affirmation messages speak to the unique thoughts, feelings, and attitudes White people may experience in their journey toward anti-racism. My intention is to offer an opportunity to mindfully reflect with guidance from a Black person in a way that attends to the cognitive, affective and physiological parts of the person listening. Listening to this meditation does not make you automatically anti-racist. That is a life long journey. It simply points you in the direction through guided practice.
Similar to the Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma, the Ally + Accomplice Meditation for Cultivating an Anti-Racist Mindset will be available for free to listen on this website.