MSTG’s Statement on Racial Justice
The murder of George Floyd exposed the insidiousness of Minnesota Nice and intensified our need to address racism and its practices that perpetuate inequality. We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of George Floyd and commit to more completely understanding and facing our own racism, educating others, and supporting communities of color in positive ways.
These are the three domains to MSTG commits itself to advancing.
I. Accessible training. Education and certification in sandplay therapy is an expensive undertaking, a fact we have long been aware of. In that light, providing affordable training was incorporated into our by-laws as part of our mission from the beginning. Nevertheless, the training is still expensive, requiring individual consultation hours and travel expenses. We have long provided scholarships based on donations or waiving of our tuition charges. We must increase our efforts in this area.
ACTIONS:
a. We will reach out to Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and LBGTQ professionals, and those serving these clients, in our community and elsewhere to provide online education and consultation at the most affordable costs that we can fund;
b. We will undertake fund-raising efforts to underwrite these services to our community;
c. We will provide an ongoing, online clinical consultation group for members of the sandplay community at no cost;
d. When we offer in-person training, our locations will be chosen to feel safe and hospitable to all.
II. Individual recognition. Sandplay therapy is based on Jungian psychology, which teaches us that the unconscious, disowned emotions of racism hide in the “shadow,” only to leak out without conscious awareness in our daily lives. To be truly committed to becoming aware of what is hidden in our shadows, we, the teachers and trainers of sandplay, must examine ourselves in what may be painful ways. Consciousness and change will not be advanced if we do not do so.
ACTIONS:
a. The MSTG board will listen to the book My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem and do the experiential exercises in it. We will do this as both individuals and in group interaction/discussion.
b. Consider having Resmaa or a qualified alternate consultant come and facilitate a board retreat on racism for us.
III. Systemic racism. The psychological principles developed by CG Jung and amplified by his disciples in the last 100 years offer profound insights into the nature of the human psyche and in particular its symbolic expressions and unconscious workings. But it too has a shadow side where the racism has a home. We must look at Jungian psychology itself to discern where racism has shaped our assumptions.
ACTIONS:
a. We will study the works of Fanny Brewster, an African-American Jungian analyst who has been delving into the intersection of Jungian beliefs and the realities of American life with all its racial complexities.
b. We will explore the possibility of sponsoring an online educational seminar (for maximum accessibility) with Ms. Brewster as teacher.
c. We will incorporate our expanded consciousness into our teaching, training, and work with our clients.
References - Books
Brewster, F. (2020) The racial complex: A Jungian perspective on culture and race. New York and London: Routledge.
Brewster, F. (2017) African-Americans and Jungian psychology: Leaving the shadows. New York and London: Routledge.
Brewster, F. (2019) Archetypal grief: Slavery’s legacy of intergenerational child loss. New York and London: Routledge.
YouTube videos with Fanny Brewster
1. C. G. Jung Association of Central Ohio (JACO)
June 16, 2020 ·
Fanny Brewster, Ph.D, Jungian Analyst, shares a powerful George Floyd poem at 3 minutes, 52 seconds into the This Jungian Life Podcast: Episode 115 - We Can’t Breathe: Facing the Pain of Racism. She uses his last words to create this poem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfgQ5sBvgOc
2. Racism in America: Integrating the Shadow
3. Episode 087 - The Racial Complex
https://youtu.be/vzjXP_5p2Yc
4. PGIAA tête-à-tête talk series: An Evening with Fanny Brewster
https://youtu.be/O4AgiEIlQdI
Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association tête-à-tête talk series: An Evening with Fanny Brewster.
Native American
1. Duran, E. 2019. Healing the soul wound: Trauma-informed counseling for indigenous communities, 2nd. Edition.
2. Theta NewBreast – Blackfeet tribe. Several YouTube videos
Asian-American
Wu, F. 2002. Yellow: Race in America beyond black and white. New York NY: Basic books.