Psychotherapeutic experiential interventions for activists, examining the Despair and Empowerment paradigm

grantor: University of TorontoBurn out literature substantiates activists' stress. Political critiques of psychology examine tensions between personal and political needs. From four semi-structured qualitative interviews with facilitators of the "Despair and Empowerment" paradigm, I examine how the personal and political can be integrated into experiential workshops. These facilitators generate discourses about psychotherapeutic interventions sustaining activism. Central questions were: (1) how workshops integrate the personal and political; (2) how facilitators see emotional exploration affecting activism; (3) how some activists experience stress; (4) how notions of activism and political praxis are constituted by facilitators, the "Despair and Empowerment" paradigm and political activists. My research expectation is not to provide definitive representations of the intervention, facilitators, or activists. Rather, layers of discussion about pedagogy, healing and practices of social change are offered to further develop praxis in myself, the research and workshop participants, and others committed to personal and social healing and transformation.M.A