“Immerse yourself in the cultures, in the lifestyles, in the celebrations in the ways of being of the people you serve”
Dr. Niki Elliot
How can clinicians create an equitable and more just society?
Through equity work that addresses discrimination & racial/identity oppression.
Based on a training by Dr. Niki Elliott
Beyond the color of our skin and beyond our gender and sexuality lies a nervous system that shares a common thing: a desire to feel safe.
Two of the most marginalized and oppressed groups are LGBTQ+ and Racial/Cultural Minorities.
The legacy of trauma and oppression on marginalized individuals impacts their nervous system. As clinicians, we need to understand that.
To Do:
Lack of Awareness on:
Their neurophysiological response when race & identity conversations arise
-
Listen to the lived experience of those who are oppressed & marginalized
-
Read literature written by individuals who have been oppressed & marginalized
To Do:
Lack of Awareness on:
How to regulate one’s body, emotions, and physical emotional reactivity when race & identity conversations arise
-
Learn & address the physical aspects of their own reactivity
-
Consider the narratives you hold about race & identity
-
Lean into the bodily sensations that arise when these narratives are challenged
To Do:
Failing to:
Have their nervous system
retrained to remain regulated when talking about race & identity
-
Practice identifying which nervous system state you are in when race & identity
conversations arise -
Take a continue education training that focuses on nervous system regulation techniques
-
Personally reflect and consider why race & identity conversations create nervous system activation
To Do:
Failing to:
Recognize stereotyping and their own negativity biases about race & identity
-
Reflect on the beliefs you hold about race & identity
-
Self-Reflect on where you learned these ideologies
-
Practice cultural humility
To Do:
Failing to:
Check their own learning
progress after attending a
training on race & identity
-
Practice ongoing conversations with colleagues who are committed to equity work
-
Provide feedback to the professionals hosting the training about what was learned
-
Create research projects
To Do:
Failing to:
Reflect on the beliefs one
holds about race & identity
-
Consider your own race & identity
-
Join a professional group that discusses how to fight inequalities
Reasons Clinicians Fall Short
“Discrimination & racial/other identity oppression has a huge impact on the developing brain, heart, and nervous system. It continues through the life span”
Dr. Niki Elliot
Embodied Perspective Approach to Clinical Work: Rae Johnson, 2018
01
Recognize that “Racism, Classism, Sexism, Ableism, and Heterosexism are experienced in and through the body”.
Rae Johnson, 2018
02
Learn how “our bodies play
a role in creating and maintaining social power”
Rae Johnson, 2018
03
“Bring awareness to how nonverbal communication influences social structures of oppression and domination”
Dr. Niki Elliott, 2022
“Experiences of direct oppression and consistent experiences of micro
aggression are experienced by a person’s brain and nervous system similar to the other types of
trauma that you support"
Dr. Niki Elliot
What To Do As a Clinician
01
Commit yourself to lifelong learning to understand how your nervous system responds to people we have been trained to perceive as others
02
Be a safe, trusting care provider and create the space where another person’s nervous system can down regulate. It is HOW you do it and HOW you deliver a connection with another.
03
Model with your body a sense of safety with the individuals who work with you. Be aware of your presence: posture, voice tone, facial expressions, and attentiveness.
04
Build Narrative Empathy and truly listen to the lived experience of your clients.
05
Know where/how you are centered based on your identity and learn how to UNCENTER yourself.