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BIPOC Mental Health Month

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month, a time to recognize the unique experiences, strengths, and resilience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities while bringing awareness to the importance of equitable, culturally responsive mental health care. Mental health does not exist in isolation; it is deeply influenced by our relationships, communities, identities, and lived experiences. Many BIPOC individuals navigate chronic stressors related to racism, discrimination, historical and intergenerational trauma, economic inequities, immigration experiences, and barriers to accessing quality healthcare. These experiences can contribute to increased rates of anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, grief, and burnout, while stigma surrounding mental health may make it more difficult to seek support. At the same time, BIPOC communities continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience, drawing strength from cultural traditions, family, community, spirituality, creativity, and collective care. 

Caring for mental health begins with recognizing that seeking support is a sign of courage, not weakness. Building relationships with trusted family members, friends, community organizations, or culturally affirming mental health professionals can provide meaningful opportunities for connection and healing. Many people also find comfort in practices that honor their cultural identity, such as storytelling, faith or spiritual traditions, music, movement, time in nature, creative expression, or participation in cultural celebrations. Alongside these sources of strength, prioritizing rest, setting healthy boundaries, engaging in mindfulness or grounding practices, and making space for joy can help support emotional well-being during times of stress. Healing happens through connection, belonging, and being witnessed with compassion. 

At Sakura Counseling, we believe that effective mental health care is person-centered, culturally responsive, and grounded in respect for each person’s unique identity and lived experience. Every individual deserves to feel safe, heard, and understood in therapy without needing to explain or defend their culture, values, or experiences of discrimination. During BIPOC Mental Health Month, we honor the resilience of BIPOC communities while recognizing that meaningful mental health support also requires addressing the systemic barriers that contribute to emotional distress. Whether you are beginning therapy for the first time or returning to continue your healing journey, know that you deserve care that affirms your whole self. Healing is possible, and with compassionate support, community, and culturally affirming care, it is possible to cultivate greater resilience, self-compassion, and hope. 

We believe that meaningful mental health care is grounded in cultural humility, respect, and genuine curiosity about each person’s unique lived experience. Our approach to therapy is culturally affirming, culturally responsive, and anti-oppressive, recognizing that our identities, relationships, communities, and the systems we live within all shape our emotional well-being. Rather than viewing distress solely as an individual experience, we acknowledge the impact of racism, discrimination, marginalization, historical and intergenerational trauma, and other systemic inequities that can affect mental health. We strive to create a therapeutic relationship where clients feel seen, heard, and valued in all aspects of their identity. Through a relational, collaborative, and person-centered approach, we honor each person’s strengths, cultural values, and resilience while supporting healing, self-understanding, empowerment, and connection.  

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LGBTQ+ Pride Month  

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the resilience, diversity, creativity, and contributions of LGBTQ+ communities.  

LGBTQ+ affirming therapy recognizes that communities formed of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions are appreciated, valued, and worthy of respect and understanding. An affirming therapist understands the impact that family rejection, political violence, systemic barriers, and trauma can have on one’s nervous system, personhood and emotional well-being.  

Sakura Counseling honors the joy, resilience, creativity, and community that flourish within LGBTQIA+ spaces and strives to provide safer spaces in which mental health is informed, supportive, liberatory, and celebratory of gender expansive families, partnerships, and individuals. As allies, we also want to acknowledge the very real fear, exhaustion, and grief that many transgender and gender-diverse people are carrying right now. It is understandable to feel anxious, angry, hypervigilant, or overwhelmed in response to a social and political landscape where many LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender and nonbinary people of color, continue to experience discrimination, stigma, and targeted political attacks.  

Recent anti-LGBTQ+ policies across the U.S. directed at LGBTQ+, particularly against transgender and non-binary people, have contributed to increased stress, fear, uncertainty, and minority stress for many individuals and families. These experiences can have significant impacts on mental health, increasing vulnerability to anxiety, depression, isolation, and trauma-related symptoms. Recognizing these realities while celebrating community strength is an important part of honoring the full experience of LGBTQ+ people. 

During times of violence and oppression, acts of self-care and community care matter. Here are some suggestions for self and community care during Pride Month and beyond: 

  • Seek out affirming relationships and communities where your identity is celebrated and supported, whether through trusted friends, chosen family, peer groups, or LGBTQIA+-affirming therapy.  
  • Remember that seeking support is an act of courage and self-compassion, not weakness.  

LGBTQ+-affirming and gender-affirming therapy can provide a safe and validating environment for individuals to explore identity, process experiences of discrimination or trauma, strengthen self-worth, and cultivate authentic self-expression. During Pride Month and throughout the year, we celebrate the courage, joy, and humanity of LGBTQ+ communities while reaffirming our commitment to equity, inclusion, safety, and access to affirming mental health care for all. 

Additional Resources for the LGBTQIA+ community in Portland, Oregon and the Northwest.  

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Meet Your Therapist: Clinician Spotlight Series – Michele

What inspired you to become a therapist?   

As a teenager, I had a mental health crisis that sent me spiraling into despair and self-destruction. Thankfully, with the help and support of a handful of wonderful mental health professionals, I not only emerged from my “dark night” but embarked on a journey of personal transformation. As a young adult, I had viewed therapy (and therapists) with skepticism and disdain. “These folks are getting paid to be my friend. What phoneys!” were my thoughts after being released from inpatient treatment at 18. Now, however, I can see the gift that those therapists had given me – they showed up with wisdom, gentleness, and patience in a world of “shoulds”, where everyone else was yelling, “You’re broken! You’re doing it wrong!” I think this non-judgmental presence is what’s needed for true growth and healing. Those therapists made such a huge impact on me that I was inspired to follow in their footsteps.  

What practices help to guide, inform, and/or inspire your work as a therapist?   

My approach is person-centered, existential, and eclectic. My work is informed by my experience working with many different healers, and modalities such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and hypnotherapy, as well as journeying with plant medicines. I am a licensed psilocybin facilitator, engage in daily meditation, and pay close attention to lessons learned from my own life and interpersonal challenges. As a therapist, it’s important to me that I show up as who I am. I feel that healing involves synchronicity and resonance, so if I’m not right for you, it’s best to work with someone else who is. 

What does it mean to you to heal, or be a healer/agent of healing?   

I believe the process of healing for each of us is mysterious and unique, and the healers we journey with often show up at just the right time and place to help us when we need them.  

The way I see it, healing is about taking meaningful action to raise self-awareness so one can better accept reality. This in turn tends to increase connection with and empathy for others and expands our capacity to deal with hardship and stress. For me, healing involves confronting my own shadows and wounds, learning how to control less and let go more, trust more and defend less, and how to choose love over fear, especially under circumstances where this feels almost impossible.  

What have you learned from your work / collaboration as a therapist working with individuals and communities?  

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. Theories and interventions are useful for understanding human motivation and behavior and can help us change how we respond to life. However, I’ve found that what benefits most people is a safe and spacious relationship which allows them to be seen and understood – a container where they can explore where they came from, who they are now, and who they are becoming. I believe values and culture play a big part in shaping how we show up in the world, so I always make room for these topics.  

What insurance(s) do you accept? 

I accept Kaiser, Cigna, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, Moda Health and Providence through Sakura Counseling. 

 

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Meet Your Therapist: Clinician Spotlight Series – Amaya

What are some of the therapeutic modalities you enjoy using and have found supportive to clients? 

I draw from Emotion Focused Therapy with couples, to build awareness of their conflict cycles, and help them identify the primary need that’s not being met in the cycle. I facilitate conversations between partners, asking them to slow down, respectfully express themself, and be vulnerable with one another. I aim to help people soften their communication and create more opportunities for connection. I also apply ideas from Satir and IFS to explore inner experiences (parts) and give external language to feelings.

What are your favorite clients to work with or populations of interest? 

I enjoy working with multiracial, Asian American, and multicultural folks. I identify as biracial, although not bicultural, and I like to be transparent about my identities. I am very comfortable working with neurodivergent persons, and/or mixed-neurotype couples. I identify as a neurodivergent therapist intern and am neuro-affirming, queer-affirming, and I welcome clients to be comfortable in our therapy sessions.  

What does it mean to you to be a healer or agent of healing? 

I believe that emotions and expression are true agents of change. My goal is to create a space where experiences can be expanded upon and felt. In addition to zooming in, I also bring awareness to the systems in which clients move through. “Zooming out” includes the context of the client’s relationships, religion, gender, race, socioeconomic status, culture, power, etc. I believe in helping clients gain more perspective on how they’re impacted by these systems. I believe that the client is the expert of their story and am here to help clients write a narrative that feels authentic to them. 

What insurances do you accept? 

I accept out-of-pocket payments, reduced rate, and limited pro bono. Please reach out to learn more!

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Rest as Resistance: Navigating Collective Trauma and Sleep in Uncertain Times 

Recent developments surrounding the United States’ decision to engage militarily with Iran have created significant stress and uncertainty for many people. This climate of uncertainty can weigh heavily on public mental health, as constant news coverage and concerns about safety or escalation create a sense of instability and lack of control.  

Over time, accumulative stress and chronic sleep deprivation can intensify negative mood patterns and increase vulnerability to mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. Healthy sleep is a foundational biological process that supports both cognitive performance and physical health.  

During sleep, the brain strengthens neural connections involved in learning and memory through processes linked to memory consolidation. Sleep supports emotional regulation by helping brain regions like the amygdala and prefrontal cortex maintain balanced responses to stress and emotional stimuli, which is critical for psychological resilience. Restorative systems, such as the glymphatic system, are supported by sleep, which helps clear metabolic waste from the brain and strengthens the immune system.  

Through these neurological, psychological, and physiological processes, sleep plays a vital role in maintaining overall health, enhancing mental clarity, supporting recovery, and promoting long-term well-being. 

Here are some strategies for how we may safeguard and support the act of sleep and rest, as these are crucially important in building resilience and sustaining a sense of well-being. 

The Biological Anchor 

Quality sleep plays a vital role in maintaining mental well-being, as it allows the brain to restore balance in emotional and cognitive processes. During sleep, the brain regulates stress hormones like cortisol, consolidates memories, and processes emotional experiences. 

The Global Disruptor 

Recent developments regarding military engagement with Iran have created a climate of uncertainty that weighs heavily on public mental health. This isn’t just a feeling; it is reflected in the data. According to recent APA studies, nearly 70% of adults identify the future of the nation as a significant source of stress. When public opinion shows a majority of Americans opposing military action, the resulting sense of helplessness can trigger hypervigilance—a state of constant alertness that is the direct enemy of deep REM sleep. 

The Inequality Gap 

The impact is often intensified for people of color. Systemic inequalities already create a “sleep gap”; for instance, CDC data shows that Black and Hispanic populations report significantly higher rates of sleep deprivation (46% and 35%, respectively) compared to their White counterparts (31%). For these communities, international conflict isn’t just a headline—it can trigger fears of racial profiling or xenophobia, adding a layer of vicarious trauma that makes “switching off” at night nearly impossible. 

1. Establish a “Digital Sunset” 

The blue light from screens suppresses melatonin, but the “headline stress” is often more damaging than the light itself. 

  • The 60-Minute Rule: Disconnect from news and social media at least one hour before bed. 
  • Physical Distance: Charge your phone in a different room. This prevents the “doomscrolling” urge if you wake up in the middle of the night. 

2. Utilize “Scheduled Worry Time” 

Anxiety often strikes at night because it’s the first time all day your mind isn’t occupied. 

  • The Brain Dump: Earlier in the evening (not right before bed), spend 10 minutes writing down everything that concerns you about the current news cycle. 
  • The Mental Closed-Door: Once it’s on paper, tell yourself, “I have acknowledged these concerns; I will address them tomorrow.” This helps prevent “cognitive popcorn” while you’re trying to drift off. 

3. Curate Your Information Intake 

Constant updates create a state of hypervigilance, which keeps your cortisol levels spiked. 

  • Check, Don’t Monitor: Choose two specific times a day to check the news (e.g., 10 AM and 4 PM). Avoid checking it first thing in the morning or right before sleep. 
  • Switch to Long-Form: Instead of frantic social media snippets, read one deep-dive article or listen to a measured podcast. It provides context, which feels more manageable than chaos. 

4. Focus on the “Locus of Control” 

Large-scale geopolitical conflicts feel overwhelming because we cannot influence them directly. To lower stress, focus on what you can control: 

  • Tactile Routine: Focus on the physical sensations of your bedtime routine—the temperature of the water when washing your face, the texture of your sheets. 
  • Rhythmic Breathing: Use the 4-7-8 technique: 
  • Inhale for 4 seconds. 
  • Hold for 7 seconds. 
  • Exhale slowly for 8 seconds. 
  • This resets the vagus nerve and physically forces the body out of “fight or flight” mode. 

5. Community and Connection 

Isolation can amplify the fear generated by news. 

  • Non News Talk: Spend your evening hours talking to friends or family about things unrelated to the conflict. 
  • Cultural Anchors: For diverse communities specifically, engaging in familiar cultural practices, music, or comfort foods can provide a sense of “normalcy” and safety that counters external xenophobia or stress. 

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Mental Health Resources for the Iranian-American Community 


For many Iranian and Persian-speaking individuals in the diaspora, finding mental health resources that honor language, culture, and lived experience can be an important part of healing. In the context of ongoing political tensions and the collective stress that many in the Iranian community may be carrying, access to culturally responsive mental health support is especially important. We recognize the impact that political unrest, displacement, and intergenerational trauma can have on emotional well-being, and we stand in solidarity with Iranian communities navigating these challenges. The following organizations and initiatives are dedicated to supporting the Iranian-American community through culturally responsive mental health education, peer support, and access to Persian-speaking clinicians. From nonprofit advocacy groups to peer counseling helplines and virtual wellness platforms, these resources help reduce stigma, increase accessibility, and foster connection for individuals and families seeking culturally attuned care.

Iranian Psychological Association of America (IPAA) 
A nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and education within the Iranian-American community. It connects clinicians, researchers, and community members while addressing culturally specific mental health issues.  

Raha Foundation 
A nonprofit mental health organization working to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health services for Persian speakers. The foundation offers workshops, resources, and an online directory to help people find Farsi-speaking therapists.  

National Iranian American Council (NIAC) 
Provides curated mental health resource guides for Iranian Americans, including links to therapists, support groups, and culturally relevant wellness tools. 

Cross Cultural Expressions – Yaran Iranian Peer Counseling Helpline 
A free peer-support helpline offering confidential emotional support and referrals for Persian-speaking individuals and families.  

Iran House 
Provides trauma-informed support and healing programs for individuals affected by political violence, displacement, and trauma, with a focus on dignity and cultural understanding.  

Hamrah Care 
An online emotional wellness platform offering virtual sessions with Persian-speaking professionals for individuals living in the diaspora. 

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Meet Your Therapist: Clinician Spotlight Series – Mariko

What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?   

I seek to support the QTBIPOC population and people of diverse marginalized identities. Racial and cultural identity development theories do not talk to each other well, but both inform my work as a counseling intern and mental health professional, and can be transformative when they are in dialogue and work collaboratively. I also feel passionate about supporting the neurodivergent population. I offer a combination of psychodynamic and somatic therapies in working with clients coming in with developmental trauma and/or PTSD, religious abuse, and moral injury. Spirituality may be integrated into the therapy as well, depending on the client’s needs.  

What are one or two interventions that you enjoy using and have found to be supportive to clients?   

I primarily work from a foundation of psychodynamic therapy, where clients are welcome to talk about what is on their mind (images, emotions, thoughts) without judgment or censorship. Lacanian Psychoanalysis allows the client to connect to their unconscious desires. When we listen to ourselves, we realize we have multiple and sometimes conflicting desires at the same time, and we also learn how many of our desires are socially and culturally constructed. We listen to the spoken, the unspoken, and the unspeakable, without judgment. I draw inspiration from Ignacio Martín-Baró, who talks about how critical consciousness leads to a deeper understanding of reality. These theories are important because we hold the power to transform our reality. To be fully human, I believe, only happens through relationships with others. Therapy becomes a unique kind of meeting between persons that creates the opportunity for change and transformation of reality. 

What have you learned from your work/collaboration as a therapist working with individuals and communities?  

There can be stigma related to seeking therapy, and it takes so much courage to seek counseling. If you are seeking or already in therapy, I want to affirm your courage and strength in your pursuit. Each person has innate knowledge and power to deal with the great waves life brings. The body has an innate ability to heal – even during a traumatic experience, so I believe that therapy work is collaborative in nature, and holistic work. The survival responses fight, flight, or flee enable you to protect yourself; however, they can cause problems when we lose the ability to distinguish between safety and danger. We sometimes need a safe enough space to slow down, reflect, and work on ourselves. Even in the midst of pain and suffering, I observe strength, creativity, hope, wisdom, and perseverance emerging in the lives of people. Liberation, or human flourishing, may look different depending on your social-cultural context, which I deeply respect, and I feel honored and grateful to be in this endeavor.  

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Carrying a Double Burden: ADHD, Racial Trauma, and Antiracist Care for People of Color

People of color who have ADHD often carry a double burden: managing a neurodevelopmental condition while navigating a world shaped by racism. Racial trauma, microaggressions, and systemic violence place a constant cognitive and emotional load on BIPOC individuals with ADHD. Chronic stress can worsen ADHD symptoms such as distractibility, impulsivity, and emotional overwhelm.  

State violence, white supremacy, and police brutality leave deep imprints on the nervous system. Constantly scanning for danger, processing the threat of discrimination, or witnessing harm to others creates ongoing stress that can amplify ADHD symptoms like overwhelm and dysregulation. This kind of chronic physiological stress doesn’t stay in the mind alone; it lives in the body, shaping how people breathe, sleep, and regulate emotions in everyday life.  

Mental health care for neurodivergent people of color must be explicitly antiracist and culturally humble. Antiracist care recognizes how racism affects not just identity but physiology. At Sakura Counseling, we do not pathologize stress reactions to racist and harmful power structures and systems. Culturally humble care seeks to understand each person’s unique personal and cultural background and perspective.  

Kirmayer (Kirmayer, 2012) writes about how cultural humility and cultural safety are an “an added critique of cultural competence.” This refers to mental health care providers’ understanding of cultural knowledge and respect and reception towards clients’ worldview, voice, and frameworks informing their realities. Clinicians hold a responsibility to acknowledge structural violence and provide “safe clinical encounters.” Cultural safety is “striving towards the absence of cultural bias and any form of racism” (Konidaris & Petrakis, 2025). Kirmayer [42] describes that “cultural safety ‘moves beyond the concept of cultural sensitivity to analyzing power imbalances, institutional discrimination, colonization and colonial relationships as they apply to health care (National Aboriginal Health Organisation, 2008, p. 3)’”. 

Possessing humility, self-reflexivity, and an understanding of both culture and race and understanding of its dynamic impact on mental health, is a shared responsibility between culturally diverse communities and mental health clinicians. Jackson and Samuels (2011) write about cultural attunement in mental health care and social work practice with multicultural communities, stating that “Attunement requires one’s ‘cultural humility’ and awareness and acknowledgement of individual and group based experiences of pain and oppression (Hoskins, 1999).”  

Clinicians hold a responsibility to engage in critical self-reflection and critical self-reflexive processes in their culturally attuned work with clients. Cultural safety is reliant upon therapist’s ability to center their clients’ values, self-efficacy, and self-determination. For BIPOC individuals and couples with ADHD, this means support that validates their experiences of racial trauma, honors their cultural strengths, and collaborates with them on tools that feel empowering rather than pathologizing or prescriptive. When care embraces both justice and neurodiversity, it helps people not just manage symptoms, but build resilience, safety, and connection in a world that still has a long way to go. 

Sources 

Dean R. The Myth of Cross-Cultural Competence. Fam. Soc. J. Contemp. Soc. Serv. 2001;82:623–630. doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.151. 

Kirmayer L.J. Cultural competence and evidence-based practice in mental health: Epistemic communities and the politics of pluralism. Soc. Sci. Med. 2012;75:249–256. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.018. 

Kirmayer L.J. Rethinking cultural competence. Transcult. Psychiatry. 2012;49:149–164. doi: 10.1177/1363461512444673. 

Konidaris M, Petrakis M. Cultural Humility Training in Mental Health Service Provision: A Scoping Review of the Foundational and Conceptual Literature. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jun 4;13(11):1342. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13111342. PMID: 40508955; PMCID: PMC12155312. 

Hook J.N., Davis D.E., Owen J., Worthington E.L., Jr., Utsey S.O. Cultural Humility: Measuring Openness to Culturally Diverse Clients. J. Couns. Psychol. 2013;60:353–366. doi: 10.1037/a0032595. 

Jackson K.F., Samuels G.M. Multiracial competence in social work: Recommendations for culturally attuned work with multiracial people. Soc. Work. 2011;56:235–245. doi: 10.1093/sw/56.3.235. 

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ADHD, Neurodiversity, and Co-Parenting: Navigating Partnership in Mixed Neurotype Relationships

Couples and families are beautifully diverse, shaped by culture, identity, lived experience, and the many ways our minds work. For couples where ADHD is part of the relationship, and for those who are co-parenting, there are often shared strengths and challenges that show up across different backgrounds and family structures.  

ADHD can bring creativity, intuition, humor, and deep care for one another, while also introducing difficulties with communication, organization, or emotional regulation. In ADHD couples and mixed-neurotype partnerships, one partner may be higher functioning than the other, and this can create dynamics that look like parent-child dynamic, or one in which one partner is excessively helping, heading on a path to potentially burning out and/or becoming resentful toward their partner.  

For neurodivergent, LGBTQ+, gender-expansive, and multicultural couples, these dynamics may be layered with additional contexts such as navigating systems not built with your family in mind, honoring multiple identities, and creating family norms that reflect who you truly are. Understanding the common patterns that arise supports deeper connection, mutual respect, and a sense of belonging. With compassion and curiosity, couples can build relationships and co-parenting partnerships that are affirming, sustainable, and uniquely their own. 

Helpful strategies for couples and co-parents with ADHD often center on creating systems and learning hacks that work with neurodivergent brains rather than against them. This may include using shared visual tools such as calendars, task boards, or apps that support reminders and reduce mental load, as well as breaking responsibilities into clear, manageable steps. Establishing predictable routines while allowing flexibility can support emotional regulation and reduce conflict, especially during high-stress times. For multicultural and gender-expansive families, it can also be helpful to openly discuss how cultural values, gender roles, and family expectations influence communication and decision-making, ensuring that responsibilities are shared in ways that feel equitable, affirming, and sustainable. 

Equally important are relational tools that support connection, repair, and belonging. Practices such as regular check-ins, collaborative problem-solving, and explicit communication about needs and boundaries can help couples stay aligned, particularly when ADHD impacts attention, memory, or follow-through. Seeking out ADHD-informed, LGBTQ+-affirming, and culturally responsive therapy, parenting supports, or group therapy can provide validation and reduce isolation. When couples center curiosity, compassion, and respect for each person’s identities and neurodivergence, they create space for strengths to flourish and for co-parenting partnerships to grow in trust, flexibility, and resilience. 

One intervention that can be especially supportive for neurodivergent couples with ADHD is a structured “capacity and boundaries mapping” practice. This involves each partner regularly identifying and naming their current emotional, cognitive, and physical capacity. Capacity and levels of ability will naturally shift day to day, and it can be highly supportive for the partners to develop skills to clearly communicating what each person can and cannot take on in that moment. Using shared language, visual scales, or color-coded cues (for example, green for high capacity, yellow for limited capacity, and red for overwhelmed) can make boundaries more concrete and easier to understand. When couples practice sharing capacity without judgment and responding with respect rather than negotiation or pressure, boundaries become a tool for care rather than conflict, supporting clearer communication, reduced burnout, and a more sustainable sense of mutual support. 

 Sources 

ADHD Love. (2025, Sept. 10).THE ADHD PARTNER SURVIVAL GUIDE: 10 hacks for a happier relationship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y_09M8Y_Fc 

CHADD. ADHD and relationships: When love gets lost in translation. https://chadd.org/attention-article/adhd-and-relationships-when-love-gets-lost-in-translation/ 

Devon Adult Autism and ADHD Service. (2024). https://www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/media/pthd2c21/adhd-and-relationships-booklet.pdf 

Friedman, H. (2025, Aug. 21). ADHD and Relationships: 5 Strategies to Build Better Connections. https://recovery.com/resources/adhd-and-relationships/ 

Medium. (2024, Jan. 17). ADHD in BIPOC Communities: How Minority Stress Impacts ADHD Management. https://dressencerivers.medium.com/adhd-in-bipoc-communities-how-minority-stress-impacts-management-strategies-f770c4820aa2 

Morse-Budling, L. Tools for Neurodiverse/Mixed-Neurotype Couples: Zones of Regulation (emotion communication). (2024, Feb. 7). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voDl_zMGyr8 

Pera, G. (2025, Jan. 5). ADHD & Relationships: Get a Chore-Sharing Game Plan. https://adhdrollercoaster.org/adhd-relationships-get-a-chore-sharing-game-plan/ 

Tschudi, S. (2018, June). Don’t give up: Survival skills for the non-ADHD partner. https://chadd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Dont_GiveUp.pdf 

TherapyDave. (2025). https://therapydave.com/adhd-relationships-couples-guide/ 

Understood. (2024, July 29). Setting boundaries in relationships with ADHD | Sorry, I Missed This. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_6RPFuyjXM 

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Somatic Therapies for Creating Safety in the Body 

Somatic therapies are gentle, body-centered approaches to healing that honor the lived experiences, cultural identities, and resilience of all people. Multicultural communities, disabled folks and folks with different abilities, gender expansive families and individuals, and people of color can benefit from learning techniques which support the nervous system to move from sympathetic (activation) into parasympathetic (rest and digest).  

State violence, lawlessness, and ongoing human rights abuses carried out or sanctioned by government systems do not only exist as political realities; they are experienced viscerally in the bodies of those most impacted. For immigrants, people of color, and gender-expansive people, chronic exposure to surveillance, threat, discrimination, and institutional betrayal can condition the nervous system to remain in states of heightened vigilance, shutdown, or exhaustion. When safety cannot be reliably found in social systems meant to protect, the body adapts by prioritizing survival—often through hyperarousal, dissociation, or constriction—responses that may later be misunderstood or pathologized rather than recognized as adaptive. Over time, this ongoing stress can erode the body’s capacity for regulation, rest, and connection, particularly when harm is cumulative and intergenerational. Understanding these impacts through a somatic lens invites compassion and accountability, recognizing that nervous system responses are not individual failures, but embodied reflections of systemic violence and the absence of collective safety. 

Grounded in the early work of Wilhelm Reich and Peter Levine, and later shaped by mental health practitioners and community facilitators Resmaa Menakem, Pat Ogden, and Bessel van der Kolk, somatic therapy recognizes that trauma, especially trauma related to chronic stress, systemic oppression, and state violence, is not only held in our thoughts, but in our bodies and nervous systems. Somatic approaches may include practices such as tracking bodily sensations, breathwork, grounding exercises, mindful movement, and gentle awareness of posture or tension, all offered at a pace that supports choice and consent. These therapies help individuals understand how survival responses like fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown can become activated during high stress, and provide practical tools for emotional regulation and nervous system stabilization. By strengthening the body’s capacity to sense safety, even in moments of heightened stress or exposure to ongoing threat, somatic therapies support people in reconnecting with their bodies as sources of protection, wisdom, and embodied resilience. 

Creating a Sense of Safety in the Body 

Somatic practices you might explore with a therapist 

When people begin somatic therapy, one of the first goals is not processing emotions or memories, but helping the body feel a little safer. Safety in the nervous system often comes from small, repeated experiences of regulation, choice, and gentleness. 

Below are examples of practices a somatic therapist might guide you through—always at your pace, with permission to stop, adjust, or simply notice. 

Box Breathing (Finding Rhythm and Predictability) 

You might be invited to explore a simple breathing rhythm, such as box breathing. This isn’t about forcing relaxation, but about offering your nervous system a predictable pattern. 

You could try inhaling slowly through the nose for a count of four, pausing briefly at the top of the inhale, exhaling for four, and pausing again before the next breath. As you do this, you might notice how your chest, belly, or throat respond. 

A therapist may encourage you to adjust the counts so they feel comfortable—or to stop entirely if your body signals “that’s enough.” The goal is not perfect breathing, but listening to how your body responds to rhythm and pause. 

Bilateral Tapping (Supporting Regulation Through Alternation) 

Bilateral tapping involves gently tapping one side of the body and then the other, often on the thighs, arms, or shoulders. 

You might alternate left and right at a pace that feels soothing rather than mechanical. Some people find this creates a sense of grounding or presence, while others simply notice the sensation of touch. 

In somatic therapy, this practice is often paired with curiosity: 

  • What do you notice in your body as the tapping continues? 
  • Does one side feel different than the other? 
  • Would slowing down or stopping feel better right now? 

The emphasis is always on choice and agency, not pushing through discomfort. 

Gentle Rocking (Inviting Safety Through Movement) 

Rocking is a natural self-regulation movement many humans instinctively use, especially in times of stress. 

You might rock slowly forward and back in a chair, side to side, or even shift your weight gently while standing. A therapist may invite you to find a rhythm that feels calming—or simply neutral. 

Rather than asking “Does this relax me?” the invitation is often: 

  • Does this movement feel supportive? 
  • Is there a sense of settling, or simply less effort? 

Sometimes the body responds with a deeper breath, a sigh, or a subtle sense of ease. Sometimes it doesn’t—and both are okay. 

Orienting Through the Breath (Tracking Sensation Without Control) 

Instead of structured breathing, you may be guided to simply notice where the breath already moves. 

You might place a hand on your chest or belly and observe: 

  • Where do you feel the breath most clearly? 
  • Does the breath feel shallow, deep, uneven, or steady? 
  • What happens when you allow it to be exactly as it is? 

This practice supports emotional regulation by building tolerance for sensation, without needing to change it. Over time, this can help the nervous system learn that sensation itself is not dangerous. 

Self-Soothing Touch (Using Contact to Support Safety) 

Self-soothing touch can be as simple as placing a hand over your heart, wrapping your arms around yourself, or resting a hand on your cheek or neck. 

In somatic therapy, touch is always approached with consent—even with yourself. You might be encouraged to ask internally: 

  • Does this touch feel comforting, neutral, or uncomfortable? 
  • Would a different location or pressure feel better? 

The intention is not to force calm, but to offer the body a sense of containment and support, especially during emotional moments. 

Pendulation (Moving Between Ease and Activation) 

A somatic therapist may guide you to gently notice a place in your body that feels relatively calm or neutral, and then briefly notice an area that feels tense or activated—before returning to the calmer sensation. 

This back-and-forth helps the nervous system learn that it can move out of intensity and return to safety. Over time, this builds emotional resilience and regulation capacity. 

You are never asked to stay with discomfort longer than feels manageable.