Reimagining relationship

Most relationship advice and self-understanding tools come from psychology, a field shaped by Western, capitalist, individualist, and imperialist values. While people are encouraged to examine and release unhelpful beliefs inherited from family or culture, psychological frameworks are rarely questioned in the same way. Instead they are seen as neutral, when they are anything but. Used uncritically, many psych frameworks reproduce us-versus-them thinking inside our closest relationships, often increasing conflict instead of easing it. How many times has someone used psychology speak as a weapon against you? Despite psychology's influence, we are not seeing greater relational ease, less war, or nervous system regulation. My work looks behind the curtain to expose and challenge psychology’s Western biases. I utilize the anthropology of psychology to identify what is helpful, unlearn what is harmful, and then draw from Buddhist, Indigenous, and spiritual philosophies to restore trust in embodied, relational, and intuitive ways of knowing.