‘Tis the season for heated political conversations around the holiday dinner table. Thankfully, trauma therapist Ani Mirasol came on the podcast to give us some tools to get through it.
We had the chance to talk about strategies for having fruitful discussions, the political nature of being a marginalized person, how to avoid activist burnout, and more. If you need a little hope to hold onto during the stressful holiday season, this episode with Ani is for you.
We discussed:
- How Ani’s childhood contributed to her playing the role of therapist in her life long before she actually became one.
- Why Ani felt called to create her Political Stress & Wellness therapy group.
- Some of the advantages of group therapy versus one-on-one.
- The impact on family relationships of Trump-era politics.
- Cognitive dissonance’s role in our disagreements with family members.
- How to prep for potentially uncomfortable political dinner table conversations during the holidays.
- Strategies for engaging people on the other side of the political aisle (if you want to).
- The white supremacist ideal that therapists and helping professionals should be a blank slate who don’t reveal their political views or personal information to their clients.
- The effect of chronic stress on our health and well-being.
- The impact of intergenerational trauma on us.
- How to avoid burnout as an activist and give what you can.
- The concept of “pleasure activism.”
- How Ani defines health and wellness for herself at this point in her life, including doing less and having unscheduled time.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- The “Me Too” movement started by Tarana Burke
- Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony in Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing
- I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers
- Audre Lorde
- When Ani says “have the spoons,” she’s referencing Spoon Theory
- The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk
- Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine
- Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown
- The Good Ancestor Podcast hosted by Layla F. Saad
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