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The Birth of Houmartic*

Having an intersectional marginalized background. Struggling with Trauma of war. Surviving in dictatorship and later in Exile. Facing the collective intersectional ignorance (especially towards health) and lack of access to resources. The intersectional existence dealing with undiagnosed chronic pain, through the ignorance of patriarchal medicine. Surviving, standing on the power of self agency towards healing, empowering, resistance and resilience in the patriarchal, colonial and capitalist world. All this was at the start of the path to Houmartic. ​ Houmartic Journey was born during the experience of two decades of activism and in between facing intense burnout with severe psychosomatic consequences, and enduring the lack of any systematic and collective awareness or support. The language of Body and Art was the start of this ongoing path to healing, recovery, rediscovery, re-empowerment and transformation out of the collective subconscious of the colonial system, which enslaved the existence of human beings (body-mind) in different forms. Houmartic is a grassroots spirited initiative with focus on de/learning, healing, decolonizing, re-empowering and transforming the Body-Mind-Culture in a political context. To be the change to be able to make change. *Houma (ˈhoʊmə/Haoma) is the Persian word for Soma (body). Houmartic هنر‌ ذهن‌بدن‌مندی

Inspiration

Learning and getting inspired from BIPoC LGBTQIA+ pioneers and allies, especially Indigenous and Black Siblings (such as the NADA Protocol by the Black Panthers* ,...) are fundamental to this journey. Those who stood/stand for humanity in the political worldwide disaster, where humanity and its dignity are just labels being traded to gain status in patriarchal white supremacy. ‘’Arriving home in our bodies and being present with our emotions and thoughts could be the most revolutionary act that we could start with’’ Houmartic also gained richness from different fields of Art/Creative Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Bodywork, Contact Improvisation, Theater of the Oppressed, Improvisation Theater, Sexological Bodywork, Non-Violent Communication, Humanities, Trauma Awareness/Sensibility and Queer/Intersectional feminism. *NADA Protocols is a mental health protocol raised by the Black community. It was practiced by a collective health provider inside the Black Panthers (an autonomous revolutionary group in the civil rights movement) in New York in the 1970s.

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Health (Body-Mind) in a Political Context

Health and politic The work around health including mental health, psychology, and self care have been deeply individualized under the colonial and neoliberal wellness culture. Most diagnoses and treatments in modern medicine are not based on the intersectional approach. They ignore reality. Instead they focus on and normalize the white cis hetero male body and psyche. Western science itself is and has been dominated by cis hetero normative white men, with all their biases. Holistic Approach There are some very sustainable influential resources such as Somatic Therapy, Art/Creative Therapy, Bodywork, Sexology Bodywork and Conscious Sexuality Practices (among many others). Those resources were inspired from old cultures, such as Indigenous and Black communities, but historically were colonized and stolen. Despite this fact, those same communities (who are the ones in most need) have less access to these resources in the time of colonization, post-colonization, capitalism, white supremacy, and all intersectional discrimination systems. Colonial dichotomies In many old cultures there was/is not a separation between body and mind. The binary thinking of existence resulted from the modern colonial system. This means that we are systematically and collectively dealing with consequences of colonial dichotomies of the rationalist mind-body split*. The lack of this awareness caused a lot of harm (among other things) to individual and collective well-being. This ignorance can be seen as well in the general hesitation to acknowledge the importance of collective mental health based on an intersectional approach. *Toward a Decolonial Feminism - María Lugones

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What is it about?

Focusing on decolonising the body, mind and culture through art, somatic practices, and conscious sexuality tools in an intersectional framework. Part of the result is art products (read more in the Art section). Houmartic also offers social justice programs from a queer intersectional perspective. Read more in offers.

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Accessibility

Those in most need are usually the ones with the most severe lack of access to resources. At the same time, they are the ones who have to deal with the collective ignorance and violence through the lack of collective support. Houmartic rose from the experience of being on a queer non-binary trans journey, in identical fluidity, with embodied awareness of systematic and collective ignorance and violence. That’s why, Houmartic aims for social justice and inclusive access to resources for BIPoC LGBTQIA+ and allies. Regardless of the amount of your income, Houmartic is offering support based on its responseAbility. In the case of no/low income, please use the WelcomHoum as keyword for discount/free access request in the appointment form title.

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How does it work?

As a grassroots spirited initiative, Houmartic has different disciplines than charities and other hierarchical approaches. Here, privileges are not seen as a claim based on who we are and what we deserve. Rather it's a social construct in the violantal system and lack of social justice. Those allies with most privileges will cover the cost of support as their part of social justice practices. To allies and fundraisers: Please get in contact with the keyword Allies if you can support this mission.

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