Mainstream approaches to mental health tend to focus on the individual: “you need to fix yourself.” Meanwhile, a liberation-focused approach acknowledges the systems of oppression that shape each individual’s life.
In liberation counseling, we see mental health as a social, political, & economic issue, not just an individual issue. After all, we can’t talk about healing & nervous system regulation, without also acknowledging the conditions that create so much dysregulation in the first place.
Join me & Dr. Nicole Xenos in an insightful conversation on what liberation can look like - in the nervous system, in the counseling room, & beyond.
We discuss:
02:38 What is liberation counseling & how Nicole came into liberation work, through experiences like unpacking religious conditioning & participating in trauma-informed yoga teacher training through the Prison Yoga Project
04:08 How to develop critical consciousness - the ability to see how oppressive systems impact us & to take action against them
06:04 Liberation is a way of being that is available within us - even while we are waiting for systems of oppression to change (& while we work toward that change)
08:02 What internalized oppression can look like (hint: sometimes it shows up as an inner critic that says, “I’m bad/wrong/unworthy”)
13:39 Present-moment awareness is a liberation practice
24:27 Liberation is a process of returning to Self & deconstructing layers of what we believe about ourselves
30:08 Liberation is collective work
31:41 It is painful & dysregulating to look at oppression. That’s why we need a base level of nervous system regulation in order to engage with this work, and why it’s important to take it slow
Remember: tending to yourself & community is an act of liberation. Rest, joy, & care are acts of liberation. Returning to self is liberation, and freedom from conditioning is worthwhile.
🌿 About the Guest
Nicole Xenos LPC, PhD (she/they) is a Gestalt trained Liberation therapist & supervisor working in Colorado. Nicole uses decolonial & anti-racist frameworks to provide education, counseling, & supervision in her communities. Nicole is a solo Mom to four teenagers and identifies as an intersectional being.
🌿 Connect with Nicole
>> To explore therapy & supervision, visit: www.paintedonehealing.com
>> Instagram: www.instagram.com/painted_one_healing
For resources on mutual aid & community liberation, visit: https://www.inclusivetherapists.com/
🌿 About the Host
Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves.
🌿 Connect with Liz
>> Join my weekly newsletter: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters
>> Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist
