I could feel the first tendrils of tension coiling their way through my abdomen. They settled like a weighted anchor in the core of my stomach. Muscle-clenching anxiety is often a way my body warns me to mind my limits, and I noted the somatic commentary. I finished reading the paragraph before me and conceded that I needed a break.

"Your entire education has been a form of colonization. We have been taught to medicalize and treat symptoms, yet we continue to ignore the soul wounds of historical trauma and colonization. We victim-blame by focusing on personal deficiencies and trauma, rather than structural violence. You see, the systems are working exactly as they were intended."

As I was reading Dr. Jennifer Mullan's scorching text, Decolonizing Therapy, my body was reeling from the searing insights rolling from the pages. Though I'd had a hint of what the book would offer before I started reading it, I had been intentional in picking up the text. Early in my tango with Psychology, I knew that I needed to get the context right. Like every other system in contemporary society, there was bound to be an entanglement of oppressive structures at play, and I wanted to enter my journey eyes wide open as I pursued psychological education.

In Decolonizing Therapy, Dr. Mullan skillfully blends her personal perspective with historical context and contemporary realities. Early in the book, she quotes Paulo Freire (see the book Pedagogy of the Oppressed), writing, "There's no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom."

This was precisely why I sought out a voice like Dr. Mullan's when I first began to learn about Psychology. Well before I could become (further) indoctrinated into modes of thinking that conform to and uphold colonial processes, I wanted to situate my education within a perspective that offered empathetic and beseeching context. Decolonizing Therapy offered exactly what I hoped it would - a clear, honest take of the Mental Health Industrial Complex (MHIC) as viewed from a female professional of color.

One of the many gripping yet inspiring points Dr. Mullan shares is that, "the Mental Health Industrial Complex (MHIC) does not have a monopoly on mental and emotional wellness." I felt a weight I hadn't known I was carrying lift when I read this. In just a few sentences, Dr. Mullan validated the healing experiences I had felt in non-medical contexts, like in spiritual or creative settings. These experiences allude to the multifaceted nature of healing. They remind me that for as long as communities of people have existed, there have always been those committed to nurturing wholeness, regardless of the formalization of their roles.

Much of the book elicits this double-edged response of grief and hope. Even with much to lament, Dr. Mullan reminds readers that though "we are all part of the problem," we are also "the solution." I find the sort of frankness that Dr. Mullan offers refreshing, heartbreaking, and galvanizing. I want to understand the complex web of systems that are at play chiefly so that I can assess where I am complicit and begin to see how I might help create new communal ways of being. I share Dr. Mullan's sentiment that we can live and heal another way. Even against the overwhelming complexities wrought by our current health systems, we are capable of designing and creating better.

I would encourage anyone interested in wellness or health to read Decolonizing Therapy, not just wellness practitioners. It will open your eyes in unexpected ways and hopefully encourage you to imagine how you might participate in creating solutions. As you read, listen to and take care of your body. Our bodies can metabolize stress in ways we might be unaware of if we aren't paying attention. When I was feeling "heart-heavy" as I made my way through the book, I took time to express what I was feeling through crafting and journaling. Try Ethos Of Care's meditative coloring cards if you are looking for a simple way to process complex feelings and thoughts.

“To Catch the Light” explores the interweavings of creativity, spirituality, and healing.