Erica

Decentering Consumerism During the Holidays in This Capitalist Hellscape Our first Halloween after uprooting our lives

“It’s the reminder that creation, skills sharing, and creativity are important foundations as they are connected to the exploration and creation of alternative ways of engaging with the world, micro or macro level.”

Check out full article on substack ✨

FREE Ebooks: Abolish the Border, Abolish the Police In solidarity with all those standing up for our communities against the brutality of immigrant detention and police repression, we're offering free ebooks of three crucial books about border and poli...

Another world is possible if we fight for it.

We can't talk about May being Mental Health Awareness Month without talking about how the mental health industrial complex tends to depoliticize a persons experiences by reducing suffering and distress to brain chemistry or individual issues

Our collective healing cannot occur when there continues to be profit over people

The illusion of democracy urges us to vote. Meanwhile, 9 unelected Supreme Court Justices with lifetime appointments have the ability to make decisions that directly impact millions of people.

So many things just root to Land Back.

Yes, therapy can be a helpful space to explore experiences AND therapy isn’t the golden standard for processing experiences. There are many other valuable environments and forms in which processing and exploring can occur.

What Can We Do Instead?
We can identify support needs. This allows a person to have their individual needs met by exploring dynamics of their lived experience. It also allows for tangible ways a person can be supported, instead of assessing how that person does or does not fit into ableist norms.

High Functioning and Low Functioning labels were created through an ableist & capitalistic lens that places value and worth on a person's ability to conform to normative values & be productive within a performance oriented society. These labels don't allow for the complexities of lived experiences.

learn about the Black Panther Party free breakfast program

learn about the Zapatista uprising

learn about Jane

learn about the Kensington Welfare Rights Union

learn about STAR

learn about Act Up

learn about the Battle of Blair Mountain

learn about the Spanish Civil War

we are not the first

Not sure if it’s me being naive or very attuned, but I’ll trust anyone who has Daria Morgendorffer as their profile picture…la la la la la

People are going to show up imperfect. To be in community we must learn how to engage in generative conflict & explore accountability as needed. Conflict is unavoidable & is not to be automatically feared. Repair can facilitate growth. We can’t engage in liberatory work & be avoidant of conflict.

There can also be misconceptions that it is their fault, weakness, or lack of resilience that got them where they are, rather than evaluating and dismantling the larger system that sees them as disposable or may not even see them at all.

The trauma informed framework can fail to explicitly name institutionalized or systemic trauma. When it's not addressed, individuals can be blamed for behavior that is a natural response to a distressing situation.

An abolitionist toolkit for social workers and therapists!

sites.google.com/view/aswtool...

From the River to the Sea Palestine Will Be Free
Valencia, Spain. Aug. ‘24

Oh my god.

They removed "transgender" from the page about Trans woman Sylvia Rivera's page at the National Park service.

"Sylvia Rivera began fighting for gay and _____ rights"

WOW.

We’re so deep in this capitalism game that love has been commodified under the guise of celebration.

Some dynamics to inquire about: What do they know about police brutality? Do they have alt. care measures instead of automatically contacting police? Can they describe them and when they utilize them? How do they implement harm reduction & community care?

A hard truth is that therapists are an extension of the policing system & it’s a therapist’s duty to challenge the ways it’s imbedded within the mental health industrial complex. It’s imperative that therapists use additional ways to engage in crisis care without automatically involving the police.

My son found Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso’s Tiny Desk set on Spotify and then we cruised around while jammin’ to it together. Little pockets of joy really do exist in the midst of chaos.

Dream & create alternative ways things could be. There is no step by step guide & there is a role for everyone. We are the revolution. Painting, humor, archiving, writing, care, music, media, consciously consuming, herbalism, reading, sewing, etc. Find what you already do or want to learn & engage.

A love suden and love Gaza flag during Kendrick’s performance

The image of the night.

The individualism in western society is one of our biggest challenges and it’s by design with roots in capitalism and colonialism. We must learn and practice how to be in relation with each other. We need less disposability of people and more repair. Liberation skills are relational skills.

Affordable Counseling | Affordable Therapy | Open Path Collective Open Path connects clients in need with mental health professionals who offer affordable therapy for $40-70 per session.

Just in case ✨
www.inclusivetherapists.com

openpathcollective.org

www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

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Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

12/20

#BookSky
#BookChallenge
#20BookChallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

11/20

#BookSky
#BookChallenge
#20BookChallenge

Get y’alls free audiobooks while supporting independent/local bookstores! 📚

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