Decolonizing Wellness = Supremacy Culture

This blog post explores what it means to decolonize healing and how it can transform lives, especially those of neurodivergent and CPTSD individuals.

Understanding Supremacy Culture in Healing Practices

Supremacy culture manifests in many ways within traditional healing practices. Here, we break down each characteristic, how it appears in healing practices, and suggest resources to understand and counteract these norms:

1. Perfectionism

Perfectionism in healing practices focuses excessively on fault-finding and inadequacy, where mistakes are seen as personal failures rather than opportunities for growth. This can lead to a punitive atmosphere where healers and patients alike feel constant pressure to perform flawlessly. For example, healthcare environments that penalize errors and prioritize "perfect" outcomes over learning and improvement exemplify this issue. To counteract this, resources such as The Politics of Trauma by Stacy Haines and Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery (which addresses gender and data biases) offer insights into creating supportive, growth-oriented healing environments.

2. Sense of Urgency

Back when I instructed Yoga while Paralyzed

A pervasive sense of urgency in healing practices often pressures practitioners and patients to achieve quick results, sacrificing inclusivity and thoughtful decision-making in the process. This urgency manifests in quick-fix solutions and treatments that neglect long-term impacts or patient inclusivity. For instance, healthcare providers might rush through consultations, overlooking the nuanced needs of each patient. By tracking the frequency and quality of decision-making processes, we can ensure time for inclusive and reflective practices. Books like Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel provide valuable perspectives on the social justice aspects of this issue.

3. Defensiveness

Defensiveness in healing practices involves protecting established power structures and resisting new ideas or criticisms. This often results in healthcare settings that shut down patient feedback or alternative healing suggestions, fostering an environment resistant to change. By monitoring responses to feedback and encouraging open, constructive reactions, practitioners can create more inclusive and adaptive healing environments. Foucault's Biopower explores the dynamics of power and resistance, providing a theoretical framework for understanding and addressing defensiveness in healthcare.

4. Quantity Over Quality

In many healing practices, there is a tendency to value measurable outputs over the quality of care and relationships. This manifests in an emphasis on patient throughput and easily quantifiable outcomes, often at the expense of patient experience and relationship-building. By comparing metrics focused on patient volume with those focused on patient satisfaction and care quality, we can shift towards more holistic and meaningful measures of success. Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery offers critical insights into how these priorities affect patient care, particularly for women.

5. Worship of the Written Word

Schroedinger’s Patient - because you can never know for sure

Supremacy culture often overvalues written documentation and formal qualifications, sidelining other forms of knowledge and experience. In healing practices, this can lead to prioritizing certifications and formal credentials over lived experience and intuitive understanding. Assessing the weight given to formal certifications versus experiential knowledge can help balance these priorities. Edward R. Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information addresses the balance of data representation and interpretation, highlighting the need for diverse forms of knowledge.

6. Only One Right Way

The belief in a single correct approach to healing marginalizes alternative methods and perspectives. This is evident in standardized treatments that do not accommodate diverse healing practices and individual needs. Evaluating the range of treatment options offered and their adaptability to patient needs can help ensure more inclusive practices. Here’s an article I wrote that speaks to the idea of Uncertainty, specific to the experience of going to the doctor.

7. Paternalism

Paternalism in healing practices involves decision-making by those in power without input from those affected. This often results in healthcare providers making decisions for patients without involving them in the process. By tracking patient involvement in treatment planning and decision-making, we can promote more collaborative and respectful practices. Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings highlights the impact of such dynamics on marginalized groups, particularly women of color.

8. Either/Or Thinking

Either/or thinking simplifies complex health issues into binary choices, ignoring nuance and creating false dichotomies. This can result in treatments and policies that do not accommodate the multifaceted nature of health and well-being. Assessing the extent to which treatments consider and integrate multiple dimensions of health can help foster more holistic approaches. Foucault's Biopower delves into the complexities of societal structures and offers a framework for addressing this issue in healthcare.

9. Power Hoarding

Power hoarding in healing practices involves concentrating decision-making power in a few hands and resisting power-sharing. This centralization can stifle collaboration and innovation in healthcare settings. Measuring the distribution of decision-making power within healthcare environments can reveal opportunities for more equitable and collaborative practices. Triple Empathy and Power Dynamics explores the dynamics of power in healing contexts, offering strategies for more inclusive practices.

10. Fear of Open Conflict

Fear of open conflict leads to the suppression of patient complaints and avoidance of challenging discussions about care. This avoidance can hinder honest communication and growth. Tracking instances of conflict resolution and the handling of patient complaints can help create a more open and supportive environment. Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel provides insights into addressing systemic issues and fostering open dialogue in healthcare.

11. Individualism

Individualism in healing practices emphasizes individual effort and achievement over collective support and community. This focus can neglect the benefits of community-based healing approaches. Comparing the availability and usage of individual versus group therapy and support systems can help shift towards more community-oriented practices. The Politics of Trauma by Stacy Haines emphasizes the importance of collective healing.

12. I’m the Only One

The belief in sole responsibility and an inability to delegate work can isolate healthcare providers and hinder collaborative care. Evaluating teamwork and collaboration levels within healthcare settings can promote a more supportive and effective healing environment. Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery discusses the impacts of this isolationist mindset, particularly on women in healthcare.

13. Progress is Bigger, More

Supremacy culture equates progress with expansion and growth, often at the expense of quality and sustainability. In healing practices, this manifests in prioritizing the expansion of services and patient volume over the quality of care. Assessing the balance between service expansion and quality care metrics can help ensure more sustainable and patient-centered practices. Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings explores the broader implications of this mindset.

Practical Steps to Decolonize Your Healing Practices

Educate yourself and others about the history and impact of colonialism and supremacy culture on health and wellness is a crucial first step. Sharing this knowledge within your community can foster greater awareness and commitment to change. Integrating diverse healing methods from various cultural traditions, and honoring their origins and contexts, can enrich your practice and make it more inclusive.

Foster inclusivity - create healing spaces that are welcoming and accessible to all, particularly marginalized groups. Listening to and amplifying the voices of those most affected by oppression is essential for meaningful change. Challenging harmful norms within your practice requires identifying and actively confronting the characteristics of supremacy culture. Encouraging reflection and dialogue within your community can support this process.

Promoting collective healing emphasizes the importance of community and support in the healing process. Recognizing that healing is not just an individual journey but a communal one can transform your approach and foster deeper connections and well-being.

Conclusion

Decolonizing healing practices is an ongoing process that requires commitment, awareness, and action. By challenging the norms of supremacy culture and embracing holistic, inclusive approaches, we can create spaces that truly promote healing and well-being for all. At No Shadow Only Shen, we are dedicated to this transformative journey and invite you to join us in building a world where everyone can thrive.