Creating A Space for Non-Judgment

Imani’s 7 Conditions for Healthy (Black) Inhabitation

Based on the 7 Conditions of Focalizing & Remade for Black being By Imani

Respect for Self, Others, & Other Existing Realities

The first condition is to start with respect for our unique, singular experiences of Blackness and others’ unique, singular experiences of Blackness. We understand that all of our experiences carry shared, collective history of racialization, but we acknowledge that the African diaspora is a distinct intergroup dynamic that coheres as an intragroup through ongoing racialized, gendered, and embodied experiences, cultural, philosophical, linguistic, (geo)political, and social engagement; a people whose core wound(s) was not of our own making but who are 1) systemically barred access to the material resources that will help us heal and 2) taught to believe that we lack the internal resources to create healing communities where we can all be whole, when we are taught to devalue the emotional, intuitive, and embodied ancestral and cultural wisdom that teaches us how to process, transmute, and use our pain, suffering, and anger in productive ways.

We want, seek, and deserve belonging, but belonging cannot be assumed based on fallacies and fabrication handed to us through coercion, pain, and violence. Belonging is founded upon authentic connection.

(“Existing realities” is also a reference to the way that the conditions for a Focalizing process will never be perfect. In this sense, belonging to the African diaspora is not always comfortable, but it is rich, nuanced, and complex in ways that are fulfilling.)

Authentic Process - Being Real

Imani strives to bring their/his/her authentic, whole self to the process. They/he/she will not be perfect, but they/he/she will take accountability by embracing their messiness and learning to release control. Authenticity is part of the antidote to shame. As a Focalizing Somatic Practitioner, Imani strives to model what this looks like for the Focalizers in his space.

Community-Based Healing

Dr. Picucci, founder of Focalizing, believed in the power of community healing: “Bring a group of people together around an intention and magic unfolds.” From a Black Perspective, this intention grounds us in a holistic belief in Black sentience—a belief that amid ongoing dehumanization, ALL Black people are human. That means that black people, too, are people wired for belonging, authentic connection, and that healthy community, of all kinds, is essential to our liberation, healing, and journey towards expanded nervous system capacity. This condition grounds us in the understanding that Black emotional availability—while often censured, ridiculed, and pathologized inside and outside of our communities—is essential to our community-building efforts. We strive to engage in conflict to resolve challenges, overcome obstacles, and deepen intimacy. We strive to humanize ourselves and one another by sharing our feelings while working towards learning to express and process our feelings. We strive to do this to create psychological safety and clarity. We strive to do this while maintaining healthy boundaries that allow us to stay in community. We only ask this of one another when being in community remains dynamic, open to evolution, and aligned with our growth.

Shared Intentionality:

Sharing in the intention is an important part of walking together in this process. Intentions may not align, but we must hone in on them. We ask until we have completely attuned to one another’s intentions. We strive to use our intuition sparingly, ensuring we don’t misattune to another’s reality and lived experience. We acknowledge beforehand that we may get it wrong. In 1-on-1 sessions, Imani will do this immediately to ensure the Focalizer (client) knows they are guiding the process; Imani is there to co-regulate.

Shared Belief:

We build off of shared intention here. We can only do this work together if we believe in one another’s shared intention. (For example, if our collective intention is to read together in a Black Somatic Reading Circle in a way that resolves some pain, we move with the belief that that is possible.) This requires trust in what we all bring to the table, whether it be expertise, training, tools, or knowledge. Can we support one another in our intentions? And if so, how?

No Shame No Blame:

Imani’s goal is to ensure we don’t normalize society’s shame or blame towards Black people by acknowledging that that shame lives within us and emerges in our relational dynamics. Somatic work can bring up shame and blame because we are shamed into dissociation and more. Shame and blame are part of our trauma responses. Imani’s goal is to model that we are not broken. Wounded, yes, but not broken. Woundedness is a condition of possibility for self-realization and radical honesty. Our nervous systems have inherited a lot. We are attempting to find healthy equilibrium in a world that wants us to continue surviving, not living. For this reason, even uncomfortable feelings are worthy of curious observation and deserve to be honored in this process. We will not shame ourselves for being imperfect, curious observers. This is a practice. We are learning to build a sense of humanization that society often strips from us.

Grounding Through Resource:

We start from resource because we acknowledge that we are carry wounds. This is how we start from a “trauma-informed” lens. Before we even begin to engage with the effects of trauma, we ask ourselves, “Do we have the resources to face this?” “Does the client have enough resources to face this?” “Does our community have the capacity for this?” What does capacity mean when we already bear unbearable truths?” From these questions, we strive to bring in appropriate resources and to model several appropriate ways of utilizing these resources. All of our curriculum is scaffolded through resources (color, drawing, objects, processes, etc.). This way, Imani & participants alike have what is needed to do the work that is being called for: to be present.

If overwhelm appears, it’s a clear signal that there is not enough resources present in the process. We strive for comfort in embracing discomfort.