Earlier this week, one of the most powerful Black women I know (who will also be a guest teacher for our upcoming Tantra Mastery for Women of Color course), sent me a text about this article:
New Study Shows Why Depression in Black Women Is Often Overlooked by Their Doctors
The article opens with this truth:
Exposure to racism and other stressors increases the risk of depression in Black folks and other people of color. But for Black women — who are impacted by racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression — depressive symptoms appear differently than in other groups and may go overlooked by doctors.
The article goes on to say…
Black women are less likely to report classic symptoms of depression, such as sadness or hopelessness. Instead, they note trouble sleeping, self-criticism, irritability, and an inability to experience pleasure. (!!!!!!!!!!)
So you mean that irritability, low self-esteem, and “low libido” is not our personal failure, and is instead a reaction to and product of “Toxic Stress?”
YES. Yes, that is exactly what these studies have confirmed. And here’s the thing… that “Toxic Stress” is not going to end anytime soon.
Racism, colorism, sexism, capitalism, all of these social constructs that are both a product and producer of toxic stress- all of these are NOT going away anytime soon.
In fact, if you have been paying attention to world events, these poisonous aspects of North American and Eurocentric society are becoming even more firmly entrenched.
I don’t know about you, but it pisses me right off that as a bi-racial Black Woman, not only do I have to deal with the daily pressures of living in a deeply inhumane society that refuses to provide basic support systems for other human beings in need, I also have to bear the burden of EXTRA toxic stress created by society’s refusal to view Black, Indigenous, and other POC as fully human and deserving of basic respect, equality, and justice.
If you doubt me on this point, I encourage you to read this.
This shit makes me furious quite frankly, and if left unchecked, unprocessed, and unexpressed, it ADDS MORE toxic stress to the mix.
And now this is the part where I pitch you the solution, etc, etc, so let me just cut to the chase.
The shit we have to deal with as WOMEN OF COLOR in North American society is not going to end, and it’s not going to change significantly on a societal level. Not enough to mitigate the toxic effects of the fuckery.
The long and short of it is, WE NEED TOOLS to dissolve, dismantle, de-armor, and DIS-integrate the impact of the fuckery we must navigate on a daily basis, JUST TO STAY ALIVE.
We need to know:
1. How to re-regulate our nervous system and establish inner peace, after one of the many microaggressions we will (most likely) encounter just going about our daily life.
2. How to HEAL from the sexual/emotional/and spiritual trauma that is so prevalent in Black and Indigenous Communities, which is a result and perpetuation of the unresolved trauma of 400+ years of anti-black racism and colonialism.
3. How to PREVENT the accumulation of MORE toxic stress from living in a society that views us as less than human (and then gaslights us about it because it’s uncomfortable for most folks to sit with that truth).
4. How to RESTORE PLEASURE, in all its myriad expressions – sensual, sexual, emotional, and SPIRITUAL.
5. How to heal, release, and repair the ancestral/generational trauma that has been handed down to us and that we carry IN OUR BONES.
Let’s liberate our ancestors from their suffering so we can integrate the power and wisdom they have bequeathed unto us through their genetic codes!!!!!
The dehumanization and violence that People of Color continue to be subjected to today are FOR REAL, and we need tools to not just survive this shit, but to THRIVE – in ALL AREAS OF LIFE!
Imagine…
- Having a daily practice of somatic CONNECTION in which you actively cultivate the pure, beautiful wisdom that resides in your FLESH.
- Having a daily meditation practice in which you are not just cultivating “mindfulness”, but you are literally dissolving mental, emotional, spiritual, and societal POISONS, while at the same time enriching your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual HEALTH.
- Reclaiming your entire body as an organ of BLISS through self-connection, movement, and sacred, lineage-based sexual healing methods.
One of the first issues I was compelled to address in my “Tantra Healing Journey” was my own internalized racial oppression. I’m not going to lie, this is a life-long journey of healing, reclamation, and RESTORATION of the rooted and embodied KNOWING of my inherent, God-given, and DIVINELY sanctioned worth, value, and EXCELLENCE.
The key to the kingdom of my own internal healing and restoration was, is, and continues to be, authentic, lineage-based Tantra.
African people, OUR Ancestors, were the originators of Tantra over 12,000 years ago! Our ancestors created systems of healing and ACTIVATION that we can still use today to restore what was lost, ENRICH our physical, emotional, and sexual lives, and ANCHOR our hearts and mind in our true, crystal clear nature of bliss, equanimity, openness, and clarity, all rooted in a sense of unbounded JOY.
That is YOU Woman of Color. That is ALL OF US.
So, without further ado, Karen Craig, me (Devi) and the entire team at IATE, invite you to join us for the FIRST EVER, Tantra Mastery for WOMEN OF COLOR Group Training Program!
This is a unique and GOVERNMENT-ACCREDITED Tantra Healing Program for personal use OR professional development.
The Tantra Mastery for Women of Color ~ Group Training Program was created to provide a more accessible pathway for the beautiful, VIBRANT Women of Color in our community to complete the Phase #1 requirements for the two-phase, IATE government-accredited, Authentic Tantra® Certification Program, while at the same time addressing the wounds and trauma unique to us as Women of Color, through communal healing and targeted support.
And, when you register by Feb 1st, 2023 you will receive a hard copy of my “Pleasure Bible” ~ Shake Your Soul Song! A Woman’s Guide to Self-Empowerment Through the Art of Self Pleasure! :-)!
Registration Ends February 13th, 2023 and Space is Limited!
This group container will be limited to 40 Students to ensure we are able to provide each student the attention, presence, and support necessary to truly flourish during this training program.
