Welcome to The WELLS Healing Center and our monthly newsletter. We're so happy to have you.
From Dr. Della's Desk:
Welcome to 2024. Instead of resolutions or goals, I want to start this year with mindful intentions:
This year, I intend to rest as often and as deeply as I can. I intend to move in a way that is true to who I am today and each day. I intend to love the people that I connect with in ways that are hopefully nourishing to us both, to us all.
I intend to surrender this ego as often as I can, softening, and allowing more connections in and around me. I intend to show up for people - those I know, and those I know of - in the best ways that I can given who I am, and what I have access to (my privilege).
In 2024 (and beyond), I intend to cancel outdated contracts. That is, I am no longer being loyal to the ways of being, to the people, to the practices that are not current - for who I am, and where the world is right now. I am breaking up with the overdeveloped sense of responsibility that I have had my entire life. I intend to move slowly so that each new contract or agreement or relationship that I make is right on time.
This year I am making more space so that I can move with more folks who are in/are seeking to be in this place of wholeness and sovereignty and collective care and love.
That’s what I’m on in this good year of 2024. If you want to join me, there’s one spot left in my Blafemme Healing Sanctuary which starts on February 5 and continues every other Monday. And we still need your support to help our grad student wellness groups run, so please drop some coins in our collection plate.
GET CONNECTED WITH WELLS + FRIENDS:
COMING IN 2024: new WELLS offerings! Keep an eye on the offerings page of the WELLS site - this is updated with new signup links! And we're working on even more newness behind-the-scenes, like The WELLS Practice Space. Here's a sneak peek of our upcoming transformative program curated by Dr. Della and the WELLS Collective.
The Blafemme Healing Sanctuary starts soon! ✨ Thank you to everyone that applied and joined us for our informationals. We have one spot left - join us here! And if you didn't get to join us for the first iteration of this healing space, you can dive into the Blafemme Healing Model for some Black feminist goodness until the next enrollment!
Unlock the Power of Cultural Mindfulness: An Immersive Training Experience - Join Dr. Della on a journey that delves deep into the fabric of cultural mindfulness within the workplace. When you fill out this form, you'll receive a link to watch their captivating keynote presentation on amplifying cultural mindfulness, showcasing its profound impact on holistic wellness, as well as some details on a special offer to take this even further.
Decolonial Psychology: Toward Anticolonial Theories, Research, Training, and Practice is now available for purchase! This book offers an expert synthesis of the scholarly literature on approaches to decolonial psychology, its historical foundations, education and training, and psychological practice. Huge shoutout to the contributors: Lillian Comas-Díaz, Hector Y. Adames, and Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas.
WELLNESS TIP - spiritual wellness
Take some time before the end of this month to reflect on your relationship with radical hope. Feel free to share your reflections with us on Instagram: @wellshealing
Some of us are bearing witness while many are personally experiencing ongoing colonial violence and various genocides across the globe, all rooted in white supremacy and anti-Blackness.
In a previous newsletter, we described radical hope as a potential avenue to uplift our communities and move toward sustainable wellness. Intentionally tending to our relationship with radical hope and our spirit at this moment in time has the potential to help us root ourselves in taking an unwavering stance against colonialism and re-committing to Black liberation, which can only be realized if and when the Palestinian, Haitian, Sudanese, Congolese, and ALL beings are free.
When we are engulfed and swimming in oceans of grief, it can be especially difficult to move intentionally, to take the necessary steps to ground ourselves against colonialism and to stand in active solidarity. Radical hope requires that we call on and be in active relationships with our spirit, which can help us remain grounded, creating the space that can allow us to move in aligned action.
If you’re seeking to deepen your relationship with radical hope and do not have a sense of what calls to your spirit, please take some time and space with the following journal prompts created through the Blafemme healing framework to support your journey.
Journal Prompt #1: Our values, beliefs, and purpose all speak to our spirit. What are the values and beliefs that anchor you, that are central to your core? (e.g., those of us who are oppressed are worthy, period) What do these values and beliefs communicate to you about the energy at your core? Can you name or describe this energy?
Journal Prompt #2: Reach inward and backward, being in relationship with our ancestors can deepen our spiritual connection. Who are your ancestors, both blood and communal? (e.g., our communal Black feminist ancestor, bell hooks) How can you call on your ancestors for wisdom, guidance, and nurturing, while also giving them grace to rest?
Journal Prompt #3: Connect with your surroundings, and identify what nourishes you even if the sensation is not nameable. What are the places, people, and practices that make you feel whole, that bring you a sense of harmony?
Permit yourself to immerse into these journal prompts, and do so while noticing what arises for you in your body. We hope that these journal prompt offerings provide you with more clarity about what calls to your spirit, and ultimately strengthen your relationship with radical hope. Once you have completed these prompts, we encourage you to move with intention. Use the energy gained through radical hope-building to commit to taking a stance against colonialism and stand in solidarity with Palestine, DR Congo, Sudan, and Haiti.
If you’re feeling lost on how to do that, we encourage you to: (a) reach out to your elected officials in Congress (you can write or call them), (b) seek out and join grassroots movements, (c) stay well-informed, commit to deeply bearing witness, (d) process what you’re witnessing and find your lane. You can find resources for all of the above action items here.
From Haiti to Sudan, to DR Congo, to Palestine, until they’re all free. We remain deeply rooted in radical hope that we will all be free. We must move in a manner that contributes to this realization.
STAY CONNECTED - SOCIALS:
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And if you liked the wellness tip above, be sure to check out our sister brand Blafemme for more gems like this.
Thank you for being a part of our community, The WELLS Healing Center Team
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