So often, when folks reach out to me to inquire about group or individual dance movement psychotherapy sessions, one of the first questions they ask me is, “How long do I have to work with you before I’m healed?” or, “How long do I have to work with you before I get better?”

It’s a valid question. But it’s also a question that’s dependent on many different factors, including the severity of the depression we’re working with.

In this episode, we’re discussing healing and asking ourselves the question, “What does it mean to heal a body?”

In this episode:

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Movement is an integral part of my work as a dance movement psychotherapist.

It’s also been an important part of my personal healing. Movement is one of the primary ways I was, and am, able to manage my own depression.

Our bodies are in motion every moment of every day. Many of those movements, we don’t even have to think about.

But let’s take a moment today to curiously check in with our bodies and think about how we move them, consciously or not.

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What does it mean to have a body? Or what does your body mean to you?

For a lot of us, paying attention to our bodies and moving our bodies can bring up a lot of feelings, both desirable and not so desirable.

In my experience as a dance movement psychotherapist, I find that quite a few of us humans notice the undesirable things about our bodies first, and that tends to cloud our judgment of what it really means to live and walk through the world in this very wise and very complex container that we call a body.

Today we’re feeling into what we know to be true about our bodies.

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What is a body?

For me, this question brings up so much about the science of it all.

But right now, it also brings up thoughts about what it means to have a body, and specifically what it means to have a body with Black skin.

If that question leads you there, too, you’re not alone.

In this episode, Let’s go back to the basics and talk about what a body is, what it means to have a body, and what it means to be in a body.

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What if you could take off your Superwoman cape and rest?

What if you could make time to laugh, move your body, and nourish yourself instead of constantly breaking your back for other people?

What if you could lay down the burden of being a Strong Black Woman and be seen, held, and heard?

You’d probably be less depressed. You might even feel more vital and, well, more human.

I’m Jennifer Sterling, registered dance/movement psychotherapist, holistic nutritionist, and self-proclaimed Strong Black Woman.

I created The Bodyful Black Girl podcast to give you and me space and a little encouragement to tend to your body, as well as your emotions.

This isn’t something we do often as Black women because we’ve been conditioned to put our bodies on the back burner and put everyone and everything ahead of ourselves while we stuffed down our emotions and worked twice as hard to get hold as far.

But together, you, me, and an occasional special guest will lay down our capes for a little while every other week:

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Racism is a public health crisis, one that affects every aspect of Black folks' lives. It also has a significant impact on our bodies. In this episode of The Bodyful Black Girl Podcast, Jennifer Sterling, a registered dance/movement psychotherapist and holistic nutritionist, shares five ways that racial trauma affects our bodies and offers Black womxn the opportunity to join her for Bodyful Healing's Expressive Movement Support Circle. More information here: https://bit.ly/2SofQXh

If you like what you hear, feel free to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @bodyfulhealing. For additional show notes and more information about booking a dance/movement psychotherapy session, you can also check out our website: thebodyfulhealingproject.com. 

This episode includes music from Blue Dot Sessions.

As Black folks, we tend to carry quite a bit of intergenerational trauma. It can be a heavy load to carry and finding ways to let it go can be just as challenging as finding a Black therapist! 

In this episode of The Bodyful Black Girl Podcast, we're joined by a fellow dance/movement psychotherapist —Stefanie Belnavis of A Bucket For The Well. In this episode, we discuss: what it means to be a culturally affirming therapist, the challenges of being Black women in a profession steeped in Whiteness and White Supremacy, the collaborative nature of dance/movement psychotherapy, how dance/movement psychotherapy can be used to heal intergenerational trauma. Stefanie also shares a word of advice for Black women interested in becoming dance/movement therapists.

Stefanie D. Belnavis, LMHC, R-DMT, is an attachment-based Dance Movement Psychotherapist based in the Greater Boston area. Stefanie’s clinical approach which is centered around exploring the intersection of early childhood mental health, psychology, creative arts, social and racial justice, multicultural family/caregiving systems and addressing the implications of race-based trauma within communities of color. You can connect with Stefanie on Instagram and Facebook @abucketforthewell or via email: [email protected]

If you like what you hear, feel free follow Bodyful Healing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @bodyfulhealing, or check out our website: https://thebodyfulhealingproject.com

This is a challenging time to be a black person right now. Between the coronavirus killing our people and police lynchings, our bodies are under attack constantly. 

With that in mind, guest GG Renee Hill chats with registered dance/movement psychotherapist and holistic nutritionist, Jennifer Sterling, about self-care ⁠— how do we take care of ourselves beyond bubble baths and face masks. 

GG Renee Hill is a writer and speaker who helps others find, accept and express their truths through writing. She brings her experience as a blogger, memoirist, ghostwriter, and creative coach to the books, courses and workshops she offers on her website, allthemanylayers.com.  Through her offerings, she advocates for self-discovery and emotional awareness through writing, as she creates safe spaces for others to own their voices and tell their stories. When she's not working on her own writing projects, GG freelances as a communications consultant and workshop facilitator for corporate and non-profit clients. She lives in Maryland with her partner and three children and can be found on Instagram and Twitter @ggreneewrites.

If you like what you hear, feel free follow Bodyful Healing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @bodyfulhealing, or check out our website: https://thebodyfulhealingproject.com

Many of us are living will illnesses, mental and physical, that no one can see. Our guest this week lives with both! 

Clary Chambers is an invisible illness advocate. She owns and operates Spark Clarity, an organization that creates safe spaces for folks living with chronic and invisible illnesses, like fibromyalgia and dyslexia, to heal and thrive. 

This insightful conversation includes a discussion about:

Clary's experience as a queer black woman with fibromyalgia, dyslexia, depression, and anxiety. Her struggle to get an accurate diagnosis for her health concerns and challenges she faced in the workplace that led her to create Spark Clarity. We also discuss how play might be beneficial for folks living with chronic illnesses and/or invisible illnesses. 

If you like what you hear, feel free to check out Clary and her work at www.sparkclarity.ca. You can also follow Bodyful Healing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @bodyfulhealing, or check out our website: https://thebodyfulhealingproject.com

This episode of the podcast was sponsored by Kindred Medicine - a growing community of healers of color who are ready,willing, and able to support your healing. To find a healer of color for yourself, head to www.kindredmedicine.com

Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions. 

'Rona did not come to play! It's changed all of our lives and many of us are feeling a little more edge because of it, so I thought it might be helpful to share some of the ways I'm coping with these interesting and uncertain times as a dance/movement psychotherapist and nutritionist. 

I mention several resources in the podcast, among them my moving meditation album. You can find "Linger: Mindful Movement for Mental and Emotional Nourishment" here: https://bit.ly/347cdJO. If you're in need of a therapist, check out the offerings at Bodyful Healing or Open Path Collective: https://openpathcollective.org. 

For more information on the ways food can support your mood, check out this blog post on the Bodyful Healing website: https://bit.ly/3dUOfWI.  

If you like what you hear, feel free follow Bodyful Healing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @bodyfulhealing, or check out our website: https://thebodyfulhealingproject.com