Mental health care in the United States is built on a Western, individualistic model, therapy, medication, self-help books. But those things are not always accessible, and they’re definitely notalways culturally relevant.
Here’s what I want you to know: our communities already have the tools. Our ancestors had the tools. We just never called them mental health practices.
So many of the things we already do (tending to our plantitas, brewing a tesito, dancing in the kitchen, gathering around food with family, laughing until it hurts) these aren’t just habits, they contribute to our own healing. Research backs a lot of it up!
In Episode 8 of The Chicana Therapist Podcast, I walk through nine of these practices in depth:
The difference between doing these things out of habit and doing them as a form of healing is intention. Showing up with presence and awareness changes everything.
Ya lo sabíamos. We already had the answers.
👉 Listen to Episode 8 wherever you get your podcasts for the full conversation, including why these practices are evidence-based, how to bring more intentionality to them, and what to do when you need more support than what’s on this list.
Dr. Xochilt Alamillo, PhD, LCSW is the host of The Chicana Therapist Podcast. Follow along @the_chicana_therapist on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or visit thechicantherapist.com.