Embodied Liberation: A Racial Justice Workshop with Vanessa Timmons & Mari Alexander

Embodied Liberation is an interactive anti-racism workshop for therapist, advocates, healers, and helpers. We will explore systemic racial bias, through the lens of interpersonal neurobiology. We will look at the role our collective and individual history played in the wounding and trauma we carry about race and explore opportunities for the healing of our world and each other.

Participants will:

• Explore the personal and collective impact of racism
• Understand our embodied responses to racial trauma
• Learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy
• Be in community, break isolation, challenge fear with tender bravery.

To support this healing/learning experience, we will

• Cultivate a nourishing environment of mutual support – this is the foundation.
• Work with sand, miniatures, and art to facilitate gently touching our implicit memories.
• Explore how working with the wisdom of our bodies, our divided brains, and nervous systems can provide a safe healing space for healing from racial trauma.
• Share stories about our experiences, personal and professional.

Vanessa Timmons is a healer, life coach, writer, social justice activist, and advocate with over 35 years, experience working with survivors of trauma. She attended Marylhurst University’s Multidisciplinary Studies Program in Portland, Oregon, and has continued her formal education through certificates and training, including the Interpersonal Neurobiology of Trauma Certification Program at Portland State University, and Light Song school of 21st century shamanism and energy medicine. She is an ordained priestess through SisterSpirit, a women’s spirituality community located in Portland Oregon.  She lives in Vancouver Washington, with her family.

Mari Alexander has been a healer for 40 years both as a family medicine Physician Assistant with marginalized people and immigrants and as a psychotherapist serving those impacted by issues of multiculturalism, diversity, equity and trauma.  Lastly for the last 15 years Mari has offered trainings in cultural competency, unconscious bias, diversity/equity/inclusion, the impact of white supremacy culture and racial trauma.

Who might consider coming therapists, social workers, psychologists, bodyworkers, healthcare professionals, pastoral counselors, teachers – anyone for whom racial justice and healing are central to his or her work.