"In human beings, there is a will and desire to heal. Part of that process is finding and holding onto what is wanting to emerge on that journey. It takes perseverance. It takes courage. It takes time."

In this episode of the Mindspace podcast, Dr. Joe speaks with Atira Tan. Atira is a somatic trauma specialist in sexual abuse recovery, educator, and activist. She has worked with survivors of child sex slavery, natural disaster survivors, victims of domestic violence, etc. And she has a very compelling TED Talk about these experiences. She is also an Expressive Art Therapist (MA), a senior yoga and meditation teacher, feminine leadership coach, and public speaker.

Atira teaches practitioners in trauma-informed plant medicine facilitation. She also works as a psychedelics facilitator at Aya Healing Retreats.

She is the Founder and Director of The Art2Healing Project, a non-profit that provides therapeutic support to women and children impacted by child sex slavery. She also provides trauma and psychological support to international NGOs for sex trafficking, abuse, and exploitation.

In this interview Dr. Joe and Atira explored:

• Her professional history working with trauma survivors
• The definition of trauma
• What is trauma-sensitive therapy
• The different between the responses to trauma for collectivist cultures compared to individualist cultures
• What is involved in teaching trauma-informed plant medicine facilitation
• What is involved in the preparation, duration, and integration of a trauma-informed psychedelic session
• How to create a safe container to hold a psychedelic experience for a participant
• What is missing from the modern day psychedelic field
• The importance of practitioners and their own personal healing
• How to build resilience

Connect with Atira on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

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