Practitioners & Politics

We are living in a heightened political landscape. Political views have polarized communities, ended relationships, created family strife, and wreaked havoc on our nervous systems. We are stressed, angry, sad, frustrated, confused, and - in the midst of an ever evolving pandemic - often isolated.

All of these truths are undoubtedly impacting the health and wellness of our clients physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If we aren’t allowing politics into our practice, we are doing our clients a major disservice as we are missing massive contextual health information.

Some may identify as apolitical. To me, this is simply a choice to support the status quo while trying to avoid responsibility. It is also a major sign that you have heaping doses of privilege that you are failing to recognize and use for the greater good.

Some may argue that it is unprofessional to share your political views and believe that practitioners should remain neutral. I would remind these individuals that the Hippocratic Oath is centered around doing no harm. If you are not actively advocating for equality and justice (racial, gender, sexual orientation, etc) you are part of the problem.

Some may believe we, as health professionals, should ‘stay in our lane’, to which I would have several choice words not suited for this post. But, the take away message would be that true healing means finding the root cause of the problem. From microaggressions to overt bigotry, we have members of our communities who’s root cause of health issues is undoubtedly linked to the stress of being a marginalized population.

Practitioners have an obligation to our patients to help them on their wellness journey. Social justice is wellness work and must be incorporated. I made a choice to be open about my political views: to stand with Black Lives Matter, to speak out against systemic racism, White supremacist culture, patriarchy, LGBTQ+ rights, which can all be lumped into basic human dignity and decency.

I had people question this choice. I had people disagree with my approach. I ended several friendships and professional relationships. I imagined what type of practitioner I would have been had I lived in Nazi Germany and I could not imagine myself remaining neutral. I won’t remain neutral now. We have choices to make about how expansive we view our commitment to ‘do no harm’, but i hope that you join me in believing that attempting to separate our health care from the political realm is like trying to heal a Liver that is soaking in alcohol.

The right patients find me. They feel safe in my care because they know where I stand. They can choose me as the right practitioner for them because I allow them to know me as a full human. The patients not suited for me won’t waste their time and can find the best person for them.

If you consider yourself a healer, but are not actively engaged in politics that are advancing the basic human rights for your clients then I would strongly encourage you to evaluate your choices.

Politics are already in our practices - it is up to us if we try to ignore this, fight this, or engage with this in a way that betters the world.

love,

Jenna