The Tea with Myriam Francois The Algorithm of Genocide: Healing as Resistance
Oct 31, 2025
In this thought-provoking discussion, Ashira Darwish, a Palestinian trauma healer and founder of Catharsis Holistic Healing, addresses the collective trauma shaped by violence. She explores how algorithms numb society to genocide, critiques traditional therapy's limitations, and advocates for somatic practices to heal intergenerational trauma. Ashira emphasizes self-care as resistance and illustrates how cultural rituals can sustain communities. She calls for a deeper understanding of Palestinian resistance, driven by love and hope for liberation.
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Detention That Changed A Life
- Ashira Darwish describes being detained at 16 and beaten while soldiers tried to break her knees, which redirected her from music to journalism.
- That detention catalyzed a career focused on telling Palestinian stories and seeking systemic change.
Harsh Interrogation And Tailored Torture
- Ashira recounts being held in coffin-like showers, threatened with electrocution, and seeing blood in interrogation rooms.
- She links these experiences to widespread practices of sleep deprivation, sexual abuse, and tailored torture in Israeli detention.
Talk Therapy Fails Ongoing Occupation Trauma
- Talk therapy often retraumatizes people living under continuous occupation because it re-enacts power dynamics and forces repetition of trauma stories.
- Somatic and collective approaches better address ongoing trauma where there is no 'post' period.
