WHEN: Tuesday October 21, 2014, 6PM-8:30PM

WHERE: Centre for Women and Trans People at U of T

563 Spadina Ave., Room 100.  Wheelchair Access via Bancroft Ave.

Facilitator: Lu Lam, M. Ed, is a trans-identified, Chinese-Taiwanese counsellor trained in mindfulness and critical diversity counselling practices.

This workshop will offer participants a way to respect and connect with their pain (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, inter-generational) with mindful awareness and compassion. Often, we push away our pain with judgment, fear, and distraction. Although reacting to pain in this way can at times be brilliant action to take, in the long-run, it impacts our holistic health at great costs. Introducing skills in mindful awareness can offer a way for us to become aware of how we relate to our pain and how to relate to the pain with deep self-respect, compassion, kindness and gentleness. Consistent evidence shows how mindfulness based interventions show potential for improving a wide range of physical and mental health issues.

This workshop is for our many communities of self-identified genderqueers, gender fluid, many gendered, 2-Spirit, transsexuals, gender fuckers, gender non-conforming, gender transcending, trans people.

Learning Objectives:

1. Provide a critical perspective on the cultural social impacts toll on the health of trans communities, who live complex and intersectional identities.
2. Present a non-pathologizing non-diagnostic integrative health paradigm highlighting “ways of being” in practices of awareness, compassionate acceptance, in juxtaposition to Western culture’s overemphasis on “ways of doing” and pathologization of pain.
3. Offer mindfulness skills to supporting emotional, mental, physical and spiritual pain and/or illnesses.

Spaces are limited! RSVP is encouraged, but not required. Email cwtpATutorontoDOTca if you are planning to attend.