Healing People, Healing Planet

I have to say that listening to these conversations for a second time is even more inspiring than the first time. In this conversation there are two Australians (one Aboriginal, one white), a neuropsychiatrist and a transpersonal climate psychologist! (See the end of this post for links). Living in New Zealand made the Australian wisdom even more interesting in relation to our own history with our indigenous culture.

The conversation focused mainly on healing from trauma - personal trauma and planetary trauma. One theme that stood out is the impact of trans-generational trauma. Some of the stories told were heartbreaking. They showed not only the trauma sustained directly by a child or adult as a result of the brutal actions of colonists, but also the ongoing trauma through the generations.Here is a two minute clip of Judy Atkinson talking about her own journey and her work with indigenous Australians. 

This, of course, is not limited to the effects of colonisation. Diane spoke of working with people who had never met grandparents or great-grandparents who had lost their lives in the Holocaust. Yet the trauma of that heritage needed deep healing in the life of the current person. The cellular memory (and soul memory) of the trauma remains. She has also worked in depth with some of the "lost boys of Sudan". I read a book about these "lost boys" some years ago. 20,000 boys were left without family or home in the genocide in Sudan during the Civil war 1987-2005.

Kylie, as a white Australian, spoke of feeling the guilt of being part of the colonising culture. A significant experience during her childhood was having an Aboriginal girl living with her family over a long summer holiday. She assumes it was a well meaning programme of "let us (white) help you (aboriginal)". For her it planted a deep sense of unity beneath any cultural divide. She is now a transpersonal climate psychologist.

It's not only people who bear the effects of generational trauma.. So does the planet. Judy spoke of "the memories of country". (We might say "memories of the land".) For example: On a "behind the scenes clip" on the current David Attenborough series, one of the camera team was close to tears as he returned to an area that had previously been home to trees specifically suited to that desert environment. They were lying dead because of increasingly extreme heat and drought. The wildlife he was hoping to film there was gone. The theme of really listening to the land and all that the land sustains is becoming more crucial every day.

Deep listening is also an essential factor in healing people. Returning to the "lost boys of the Sudan" situation, Diane spoke from her experience and affirmed: "no-one is beyond help". However, the kind of listening that leads to healing can only be offered by someone who is not afraid to "go to the depths of hell" with the traumatised person. If the listener is afraid to hear the worst of the story or tries to 'make it feel better', the speaker will quickly shut down. It is no longer a safe place for them to dare to explore the depths of their pain. When a person has a guide to travel with them to the deepest core of trauma they can begin to heal and journey back, still accompanied by the guide.

This healing journey can take a long time. Sometimes words are inadequate or simply cannot be found. An example in Judy's case was an extremely traumatised young girl who couldn't speak the horror of her abuse "or my head will burst". Judy gave her paper and art materials and said: "paint for me". It was many years later after many paintings that this young woman had courage to report her abuser and have him convicted. Judy's comment was that the young woman did this "out of her own authenticity". We are called to accompany the journey however long it takes.

I re-tell these examples for two reasons. Sometimes I think we feel overwhelmed by all that needs healing on the planet and in people. It feels too much to comprehend or cope with. Yet listening is something we can all do. Perhaps we are not skilled or trained in the kind of listening described here - but it is something we can practice every single day. We all put out little hints of something we hope someone will "hear" and shut down very quickly if the response shows that deep listening is not on offer.

Links to the people in this conversation:

Catherine G Lucas
Judy Atkinson 

Diane Hennacy-Powell

Kylie Harris and here