The Power of Decolonizing Therapy and Brainspotting: A Path to Collective Healing

The Power of Decolonizing Therapy and Brainspotting: A Path to Collective Healing

Colonialism has left an indelible wound on humanity. The systems, structures, and ideologies born from centuries of exploitation continue to ripple through time, deeply impacting the emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being of people globally—particularly Indigenous communities and those displaced by colonization. When a wound of this magnitude goes unnamed, unseen, and untreated, it festers, infecting everything in its path. To heal, we must shine a light on these wounds and confront their legacy. Enter the concept of **Decolonizing Therapy**.

Decolonizing Therapy calls for us to move beyond the dominant Eurocentric mental health models that pathologize individuals while ignoring the historical and systemic roots of their suffering. Instead, it offers a holistic and inclusive approach that centers ancestral wisdom, collective healing, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities. It's not only about helping individuals survive but fostering thriving, liberation, and joy on a global scale.

Why Decolonizing Therapy Matters

The current global mental health crisis exposes the limitations of conventional therapeutic approaches, which fail to address the collective trauma born from centuries of colonization. Mainstream mental health systems are steeped in colonial ideologies, focusing on individual survival and adaptation to oppression rather than on addressing the core issues: separation from land, community, and our innate joy. As a result, many people, especially those who have been historically excluded from these systems, are left behind.

To decolonize our mental health practices means bravely confronting the multi-generational impact of colonization and tending to the roots of our suffering. It involves a fundamental shift toward healing that recovers the gifts of our ancestors, reconnects us to community, and centers collective liberation. It also calls for an end to individualistic, pathologizing methods of wellness, making room for an inclusive model of mental health that offers a path toward freedom for all.

Brainspotting: A Tool for Emotional Decolonization

One powerful modality that aligns with this decolonized approach to therapy is **Brainspotting**. Developed by Dr. David Grand, Brainspotting taps into the brain's innate ability to process and heal trauma. It works by identifying “brainspots”—eye positions that correlate with areas of stored emotional pain—and allowing the body and brain to access the deep trauma that traditional talk therapies often overlook.

In the context of **emotional decolonization**, Brainspotting offers a way to bypass the layers of colonial conditioning and trauma stored within our nervous systems. By helping individuals access the unconscious memories and emotions tied to generational trauma, Brainspotting allows for the release of emotional burdens that have been passed down through colonization. This process of uncovering, feeling, and releasing deep-rooted emotional pain can serve as a critical step in untangling the psychological enslavement and separation created by colonial violence.

What sets Brainspotting apart is its ability to access these wounds directly without requiring participants to verbalize or intellectualize their trauma—an approach that can feel alienating in cultures where the spoken word may not be the primary mode of expression. For many Indigenous and marginalized communities, healing is a somatic, spiritual, and communal process, and Brainspotting honors this by allowing the body’s natural wisdom to guide the way.

Emotional Decolonization: Beyond the Individual

At its core, **emotional decolonization** is about peeling back the layers of colonial programming that have gone unquestioned for too long. It is the process of reckoning with the inherited pain of our past, reclaiming ancestral wisdom, and creating new pathways for wellness that are not dependent on systems designed to keep us oppressed. While this work begins with the individual, its impact ripples outward, shifting collective consciousness and contributing to structural and systemic change.

Decolonizing therapy is about reclaiming our birthright to joy, freedom, and community. It’s about acknowledging that our healing is tied to the healing of our ancestors, our land, and our future generations. Emotional decolonization is a necessary step toward the broader goal of land decolonization—toward a world where Indigenous peoples, forcibly displaced populations, and all marginalized groups can thrive, free from the lingering chains of colonization.

A Call to Action

The time to decolonize therapy is now. We need more therapists, healers, and communities to step into this work—those who are willing to dig deep and confront the core wound of colonialism. The integration of Brainspotting into a decolonized framework for mental health is a powerful tool for helping individuals not only cope but also thrive.

Healing is not just a personal journey; it is a collective responsibility. As we bravely engage in emotional decolonization, we contribute to a larger movement toward structural change. We begin to create systems of wellness that honor our interconnectedness, our shared histories, and our collective potential for liberation.

Let’s answer the call to heal in a way that is expansive, inclusive, and rooted in the wisdom of our ancestors. Together, we can create new paths toward liberation, joy, and true well-being for all.

Here is the citation in APA format:

Mullan, J. (2023). *Decolonizing therapy: Oppression, historical trauma, and politicizing your practice*. North Atlantic Books.