Queer & Neurodivergent
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Artwork by Ellie Yanagisawa
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Disclaimer: This group is not aimed at providing individual therapeutic support. Building and being in community with like-minded individuals, however, can be healing in itself. Lias and Sikemi will be mediating the space and offer practises and exercises to facilitate the creation of a healing space. If you are looking to do individual healing, please click here.
Collective Healing & Belonging
Feeling a sense of Belonging is at the core of our mental well-being. Most of what we do is because we need and seek Belonging. If we don't have a sense of belonging, connection, and acceptance within ourselves and our communities, existing and surviving in this already completely disconnected society can start feeling impossible.
You are not alone for wanting to belong. Especially for neurodivergent, queer, and other historically and systematically excluded communities, conforming to the white supremacist neuronormative capitalist 'cistem' can feel awful, demanding, and often completely pointless. As a result, our mental health suffers greatly. The aim of this group is to restore connection in community and to be in collective joy, grieve, and emotion together.
Feeling a sense of Belonging is at the core of our mental well-being. Most of what we do is because we need and seek Belonging. If we don't have a sense of belonging, connection, and acceptance within ourselves and our communities, existing and surviving in this already completely disconnected society can start feeling impossible.
You are not alone for wanting to belong. Especially for neurodivergent, queer, and other historically and systematically excluded communities, conforming to the white supremacist neuronormative capitalist 'cistem' can feel awful, demanding, and often completely pointless. As a result, our mental health suffers greatly. The aim of this group is to restore connection in community and to be in collective joy, grieve, and emotion together.
Xiyadie, GATE 门, 1999
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Chris Buzelli
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What does this Group offer?
You will explore your sense of connection, acceptance, and belonging. You will inspect how you can genuinely connect with yourself, your surroundings, and others (if you want to). We will explore what connection and belonging means and take a look at how to make more space for it within our communities, surroundings, and our own bodies.
This will include:
Neurodivergent, Queer, and Anti-colonial Conversations
We will make the space for conversations around anything related to neurodivergence, queerness, decolonizing our hearts and minds, and whatever else comes up! Those could be conversations around fitting in, not fitting in, masking to fit in, making sense of who we truly are, or about what our purpose on this earth is or could be. Conversations to release whatever our minds might be going through as someone who does not want to conform to the system. Conversations about colonialism and how it is entrenched in our whole being and the life-long work of decolonizing our bodies and souls. Or just conversations about something funny and joyful that happened to you. Everything is allowed, all contributions are welcome!
Please note: I am a white Western trained clinical psychologist undergoing my own journey of decolonizing my heart and mind. I am aware that this is a continuous process and a lifelong undergoing, so I will not be able to say that I am "fully decolonized" or anything alike. You can read more about me and my background here.
Somatic Practices
We will practise connecting with our bodies, minds, and your surroundings. This will help to discover what you truly desire, want, and need from this existence. Our bodies are also our tool to share joy, connection, and pain with each other. We will aim to create a space in which we can be in emotion together, and grieve the world's pain and joy collectively.
Practical Exercises
We will explore important topics such as setting boundaries, engaging in things you actually enjoy, and surrounding yourself with people who you can form genuine bonds with. We will talk about how to practise personal integrity and align our values and actions. We all need tools to reclaim autonomy, joy, and community, and we will go on an exploration journey as to what those tools could be!
You will explore your sense of connection, acceptance, and belonging. You will inspect how you can genuinely connect with yourself, your surroundings, and others (if you want to). We will explore what connection and belonging means and take a look at how to make more space for it within our communities, surroundings, and our own bodies.
This will include:
Neurodivergent, Queer, and Anti-colonial Conversations
We will make the space for conversations around anything related to neurodivergence, queerness, decolonizing our hearts and minds, and whatever else comes up! Those could be conversations around fitting in, not fitting in, masking to fit in, making sense of who we truly are, or about what our purpose on this earth is or could be. Conversations to release whatever our minds might be going through as someone who does not want to conform to the system. Conversations about colonialism and how it is entrenched in our whole being and the life-long work of decolonizing our bodies and souls. Or just conversations about something funny and joyful that happened to you. Everything is allowed, all contributions are welcome!
Please note: I am a white Western trained clinical psychologist undergoing my own journey of decolonizing my heart and mind. I am aware that this is a continuous process and a lifelong undergoing, so I will not be able to say that I am "fully decolonized" or anything alike. You can read more about me and my background here.
Somatic Practices
We will practise connecting with our bodies, minds, and your surroundings. This will help to discover what you truly desire, want, and need from this existence. Our bodies are also our tool to share joy, connection, and pain with each other. We will aim to create a space in which we can be in emotion together, and grieve the world's pain and joy collectively.
Practical Exercises
We will explore important topics such as setting boundaries, engaging in things you actually enjoy, and surrounding yourself with people who you can form genuine bonds with. We will talk about how to practise personal integrity and align our values and actions. We all need tools to reclaim autonomy, joy, and community, and we will go on an exploration journey as to what those tools could be!
Some concepts that may guide us...
1. Queerness & Intersectionality
Queerness doesn't only entail conversations around gender and sexuality. I understand queerness as questioning and deconstructing all systems of oppression. While respecting everyone's individual journey and refraining from shaming or cancelling other people for their internalized stereotypes, biases and beliefs, we will always include conversations around social justice issues, intersectionality, as well as power and privilege in our support group. We will create a space in which hurt may happen (like everywhere else in life), but a space in which effective accountability and repair will be possible as well.
2. Radical Mental Health
Radical mental health will guide our journey of understanding and exploration. RMH is about emphasizing community support, empowerment, and a holistic understanding of mental well-being while depathologizing mental health struggles. It critiques the ways in which capitalist systems and structures can exacerbate mental health issues and looks at mental health from a holistic perspective (all systems).
3. Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems (IFS), is a non-pathologizing therapeutic approach that views the mind as a system of various sub-personalities or "parts" and aims to help individuals understand and harmonize these inner dynamics to promote healing, self-awareness, and compassion for yourself and others. IFS will guide our approach to sharing our thoughts and feelings with the group, and will help us to understand our own and other people's inner worlds better.
4. Animism
Animism is about the spiritual significance and consciousness to natural elements, animals, and even inanimate objects, viewing them as being able to inhabit souls or spirits. If we look at the world through an animist lens, we may not only feel connected to other human beings, but also to other creatures or elements within our surroundings. Understanding animism will help us to see and feel the interconnectedness and spiritual significance.
"Living life in touch with divine spirit lets us see the light of love in all living beings. That light is a resurrecting life force. A culture that is dead to love can only be resurrected by spiritual awakening." - Bell Hooks
5. Ancestral Awareness
Being aware of our ancestors' (living and dead) pain can help us in our healing journeys. All of us carry ancestral trauma in one way or another. This is commonly referred to as intergenerational trauma, which can be seen as the genetic transfer of emotional distress from our ancestor's traumatic experiences. Like any type of trauma, the ancestral trauma we carry in our bodies can be healed. Positive relationships entailing rituals and ancestral connection can contribute to the healing journey of ancestral lineages.
1. Queerness & Intersectionality
Queerness doesn't only entail conversations around gender and sexuality. I understand queerness as questioning and deconstructing all systems of oppression. While respecting everyone's individual journey and refraining from shaming or cancelling other people for their internalized stereotypes, biases and beliefs, we will always include conversations around social justice issues, intersectionality, as well as power and privilege in our support group. We will create a space in which hurt may happen (like everywhere else in life), but a space in which effective accountability and repair will be possible as well.
2. Radical Mental Health
Radical mental health will guide our journey of understanding and exploration. RMH is about emphasizing community support, empowerment, and a holistic understanding of mental well-being while depathologizing mental health struggles. It critiques the ways in which capitalist systems and structures can exacerbate mental health issues and looks at mental health from a holistic perspective (all systems).
3. Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems (IFS), is a non-pathologizing therapeutic approach that views the mind as a system of various sub-personalities or "parts" and aims to help individuals understand and harmonize these inner dynamics to promote healing, self-awareness, and compassion for yourself and others. IFS will guide our approach to sharing our thoughts and feelings with the group, and will help us to understand our own and other people's inner worlds better.
4. Animism
Animism is about the spiritual significance and consciousness to natural elements, animals, and even inanimate objects, viewing them as being able to inhabit souls or spirits. If we look at the world through an animist lens, we may not only feel connected to other human beings, but also to other creatures or elements within our surroundings. Understanding animism will help us to see and feel the interconnectedness and spiritual significance.
"Living life in touch with divine spirit lets us see the light of love in all living beings. That light is a resurrecting life force. A culture that is dead to love can only be resurrected by spiritual awakening." - Bell Hooks
5. Ancestral Awareness
Being aware of our ancestors' (living and dead) pain can help us in our healing journeys. All of us carry ancestral trauma in one way or another. This is commonly referred to as intergenerational trauma, which can be seen as the genetic transfer of emotional distress from our ancestor's traumatic experiences. Like any type of trauma, the ancestral trauma we carry in our bodies can be healed. Positive relationships entailing rituals and ancestral connection can contribute to the healing journey of ancestral lineages.
General Information
Start Date (delayed!): September 2024
Duration: unlimited (we will aim to build a long-lasting community)
Day: Saturday or Sundays (flexible, depending on group's needs, weekly or bi-weekly meetings)
Length: 2-3 hours per meeting (or depending on group's needs)
Donation-based: you can donate between 5-50 Euros per meeting (depending on your financial capacities). If you can't donate anything, you are still welcome to join, no one will be left behind for the inability to contribute financially.
Group Size: 5-7 participants
Group Facilitator: Lias & Sikemi
In person format at: Rda. de Sant Pere, 40, 4-1 L'Eixample, 08010 Barcelona
Please complete the following Google Forms document to Sign up :) Can't wait to see you!
Start Date (delayed!): September 2024
Duration: unlimited (we will aim to build a long-lasting community)
Day: Saturday or Sundays (flexible, depending on group's needs, weekly or bi-weekly meetings)
Length: 2-3 hours per meeting (or depending on group's needs)
Donation-based: you can donate between 5-50 Euros per meeting (depending on your financial capacities). If you can't donate anything, you are still welcome to join, no one will be left behind for the inability to contribute financially.
Group Size: 5-7 participants
Group Facilitator: Lias & Sikemi
In person format at: Rda. de Sant Pere, 40, 4-1 L'Eixample, 08010 Barcelona
Please complete the following Google Forms document to Sign up :) Can't wait to see you!
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Artwork by Rita Salt
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