Content note: This episode includes discussions of apartheid, colonialism, grief and loss, gender-based violence, and intergenerational trauma. If you’re unable to engage with these topics right now, you are welcome to skip this episode or come back to it when you feel better resourced.

In this powerful conversation, activist and Registered Counsellor Shaheeda Sadeck joins me to unpack what decolonial mental health looks like in practice — from schools and communities to spiritual spaces and activist networks.

We talk about the psychological legacy of apartheid, Shaheeda's work with marginalised communities in Cape Town, how social practice and multiculturalism enhance psychology, and the role of traditional healing in mental healthcare. You’ll walk away from this conversation inspired, challenged, and ready to rethink what healing really means.

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📮 Got feedback or questions? Reach out at @IntersectionalPsychology

🎁 Support this podcast and access bonus content, including additional episodes and interviews, as well as more guided mindfulness sessions, go to Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology.

As an independent media creator, I really appreciate your support.

Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.

📌 Support the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM): https://healing-memories.org/donate/

00:00:00 Land acknowledgement

00:00:28 Title credits and content note

00:01:13 Welcome and introduction

00:05:06 About the work of Shaheeda Sadeck

00:19:16 The historical, socioeconomic, and cultural factors impacting mental health

00:26:12 Decolonising mental health explained

00:38:13 How social practice and multiculturalism enhance psychology

00:47:02 End credits

This episode of Intersectional Psychology was researched, written, recorded, and edited by Aurora Brown.

In this debut relaxation session from the Intersectional Psychology podcast, Aurora Brown guides you through a diaphragmatic (or "belly") breathing practice — the foundational technique for nervous system regulation. Whether you're new to relaxation exercises or already building a daily practice, this episode offers a grounding, affirming space to reconnect with your breath, body, and inner safety.

You'll learn how deep breathing calms the brain's stress responses, helping to bring your body into a parasympathetic state — where rest, recovery, and healing become possible.

🌬️ The science of diaphragmatic breathing

🧠 How breathwork calms the amygdala and activates the vagus nerve

🌊 A guided 3-3-6 breathing rhythm to regulate anxiety and panic

❤️ Affirming modifications for diverse bodies and abilities

🌿 The role of breath in building long-term emotional resilience

✅ Practice seated or lying down — whatever feels safe ✅ Try this breathing rhythm 3 times a day, even for just a minute ✅ Revisit this episode whenever you need to regulate, decompress, or centre yourself

Download a transcript of this episode on IntersectionalPsychology.com.

00:00:00-00:00:18 Title cards and announcements

00:00:19-00:05:48 Welcome and introduction to diaphragmatic breathing

00:05:49-00:16:59 Diaphragmatic breathing relaxation practice

00:17:00-00:19:50 Why we need an intersectional model

This episode of Intersectional Psychology was researched, written, recorded, and edited by Aurora Brown.

Follow the podcast to catch next week’s episode — which features our first guest in conversation on decolonising mental health!

🔗 Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts 🌈 Share this episode with someone who deserves a moment of calm 📮 Got feedback or questions? Reach out at @IntersectionalPsychology 🎁 Support this podcast and access bonus content, including additional episodes and interviews, as well as more guided mindfulness sessions, go to Patreon.com/IntersectionalPsychology. As an independent media creator, I really appreciate your support.

Cavé, J. (2024) Diaphragmatic breathing frontloading. Johannesburg: Impact Training.

Cunningham, R. (2017). Yoga for athletes. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Goldfried, M.R. & Davison, G.C. (1995-2005). Diaphragmatic Breathing. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Kaufman, K.A., Glass, C.R., & Pineau, T.R. (2018). Mindful sport performance enhancement: Mental training for athletes and coaches. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Porges, S.W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.