In dualistic systems (good vs. evil thinking) there are some identities and traits that are favored and others that are considered “wrong” or “bad”. This leads people to try and assimilate to the identities that are considered “good” and hide or disown the parts of themselves that are considered “bad”.
In this episode, Monika discusses how that kind of binary or dualistic thinking can impact your sense of identity, belonging, and self worth when you’re told by your religious leaders and books of scripture that your ancestors were “cursed” with dark skin because they were evil.
Monika talks about her experience being raised in Mormonism on a Navajo reservation and how that informed her identity as a child, what eventually led her to question what she was taught by the church about her indigenous heritage, how she began to feel pride in her ancestry and love for the Navajo part of herself, and how that’s allowed her to begin to heal generational trauma for herself and with her kids.
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FOLLOW MONIKA
Watch her TikToks on deconstructing religious harm, deconstructing colonialism, owning her Navajo heritage, her acting and writing careers, and just enjoying everyday life. Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming memoir she just finished writing and talks about in this episode.
Or follow her on social media:
On TikTok: @monikacrowfoot
On Instagram: @monikacrowfoot
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION
If you’d like to be part of an online community where we take the podcast topics and pull them apart for discussion and further learning, talk about all the religious transition things, and just enjoy each other’s company, join my free “Emancipate Yourself” Facebook group at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/370375144009891
If you’d like more step-by-step assistance learning to feel safe in your body, reconnect with your emotions, and use that emotional connection to begin to reestablish a healthy sense of self, check out the Emancipate Yourself App on Google Play in the Apple App Store.
Or if you want to follow me for religious and psychological insights, commentary on events in the world, links to other people doing great work related to religion, and little windows into my real life, follow me on Instagram or Reddit @EmancipatedMolly , TikTok @EmancipatedTeri , or Twitter @EmancipatedTeri.
If you have a question or want to talk about further coaching support, please email me at teri@emancipatedcoaching.com
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