Sitting with discomfort: experiencing the power of racism and working to imagine ways forward?

Abstract

This article is a reflective account of my involvement in a series of talks entitled 'Sitting with discomfort'. The series was created by Moriam Grillo, an art psychotherapist and lecturer, in response to the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The audience were largely 'Black' therapists. In my contributions, I explored the title of the series (Sitting with discomfort) followed by two sessions on 'Being and becoming a witness' and 'Resistance and healing'. All the sessions were interactive and gave the audience opportunities to reflect on and respond to the focus of each talk. This article attempts to draw out the impact of racist experiences and discuses some ways forward for individuals, communities and professionals.