Date of Award
Fall 9-15-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Counseling & Psychology
First Advisor
Catalina Tang Yan, PhD
Second Advisor
Donna Owens, PhD
Third Advisor
Jacelyn Biondo, PhD
Abstract
This critical ethnographic qualitative study explored Black body-based healing practices and coping strategies used to resist and titrate the impact of racism and oppression. It also examined how Black individuals use their bodies to regulate their nervous systems to heal and cultivate liberatory practices. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as Black Psychology, African Indigenous Healing Systems, Liberation Psychology, and Critical Race Theory, this research investigated the intersections of Black Aesthetics, Psychology, and the body through the lens of the Africanist Aesthetic. The study employed interaction analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze non-verbal and verbal data collected from two focus groups. Findings revealed the profound significance of community, cultural expression, and embodied practices in fostering empowerment and cultivating liberatory practices within the Black community. Participants highlight the role of movement, sensory experiences, and nature-based practices in grounding their identities and facilitating emotional and spiritual healing. The Africanist elements, including improvisation, marathoning, high effect juxtaposition, cultural fusion, and the aesthetic of the cool, are integral to understanding the complex dynamics of psychotherapeutic movement observation. This study addresses the gap in resources and prioritization of white assumptions in psychotherapeutic movement observation and somatic-based healing practices, offering a population-specific framework for community wellness and clinical intervention. By centering Black strengths-based approaches and culturally resonant practices, this research contributes to the advancement of liberatory practices within the Black African Diaspora.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Nichols, Ebony, "Black Somatic Liberatory Practices: The Africanist Aesthetic in Psychotherapeutic Movement Observation" (2025). Counseling and Psychology Dissertations. 5.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/counseling_psychology_dissertation/5
Number of Pages
230
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Counseling Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, Multicultural Psychology Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Somatic Psychology Commons, Theory and Philosophy Commons
