Belonging Building Blocks

A virtual somatic practice course helping you to feel more connected to yourself & others so you can cultivate the community you’ve always longed for​​​​​​

Registration is open through September 5th!

We start on September 14th and meet weekly through November 23rd from 1-3:30pm EST.

(with breaks on October 11 and November 16th)

At our core, we all want to belong.

It’s a human need, actually. Research shows loneliness activates the same areas of our brain that connect to physical pain. And that it’s detrimental to our mental and physical health.

So when belonging feels out of reach, it’s no wonder we develop protective patterns.

You know what I’m talking about - grasping for connection, doing whatever it takes to fit in, feeling like if you were only enough of something, then you could finally belong.

Orrrr, maybe you land on the other end of the spectrum. You’ve learned to be self-sufficient. It’s hard for you to let others in. You push people away before they can hurt you.

These protective patterns tell a story. They reflect your experiences in past relationships and what you had to do in order to maintain those relationships or your sense of dignity. How you had to disconnect from your own needs and curiosities and longings, and focus on others. How you’ve had to play it “safe.”

This disconnection from yourself has left you struggling to trust yourself. To act in alignment with what feels authentic. Hell, half the time you don’t even know what “authentic” even is for you. You constantly doubt yourself.

So, maybe you’d like to feel a little more balanced. A little more in touch with your own wisdom and intuition. A little less afraid of trying things a new way. A little more curious about what’s possible. A little more empowered to take a risk - whether that’s putting yourself out there more or setting more boundaries. Even a little more purposeful in shaping what belonging looks and feels like for others, as well.

Belonging Building Blocks is a unique and powerful whole-mind-body program designed to help you connect to your own wisdom, build an unshakeable sense of self-trust, and take risks in service of feeling more connected - or more safely, more satisfyingly, connected - to others.

The process I've designed is very intentional. It’s an inner and outer experience. Throughout the program we will:

  • ATTUNE: Deepen your connection with your body and build tools for self-regulation and self-care.

  • BUILD COMPASSION: Initiate a compassionate inquiry into your body's wisdom and protective patterns.​​​

  • WITNESS & SUPPORT: Identify what kind of support your body needs that it's never had and what it longs for beyond survival.

  • DEEPEN SELT-TRUST: Feel confident in your decision-making skills and capacity to do hard things.

  • TAKE RISKS: Work towards taking the risks needed to have more satisfying relationships and cultivate community.

It's not about fixing what's “wrong” with you. It's about witnessing all your body holds, repairing the relationship you have with yourself, and building a deep, deep sense of self-trust, clarity, and purpose.

Because when you trust yourself, when your mind and body are in agreement, your capacity to take risks in service of what you really long for will expand. You’ll trust yourself to experience the emotions and body sensations that come up when you take a risk, and to even see them as sacred data.

You’ll heal through new and different experiences that gently challenge the long-held belief that you don’t belong. You’ll build relationships that will validate that you really do belong, and always have.

We all need something good to belong to right now. Somewhere we feel accepted. Somewhere we are cared for and protected. A safe haven. A secure base from which to build power toward our visions of liberation. Beyond your own personal sense of belonging, Belonging Building Blocks will inspire you to also cultivate belonging others instead of feeling like you’re just stuck on the sidelines waiting to get called in.

Belonging Building Blocks integrates wisdom from critical multiraciality studies, trauma & attachment science, and relational skill-building to help you feel an unwavering sense of belonging from the inside-out so that you can feel more connected to yourself, others, and build deep community.

Through educational sessions and experiential practices you will:

1 // Stop blaming yourself.
Learn about the belonging wound and the history of monoracism. Embrace your grief and anger. Shake the shame. Be seen and validated by others who understand your experience. Find purpose in nurturing belonging for yourself and others as a practice of liberation.
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2 // Cultivate a deep sense of self-trust and inner belonging.
Feel more connected to and safe in your body. Uncover the stories and wisdom your body holds about your past experiences with connection. Learn to support and nurture your body's needs.
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3 // Grow whole-body community-building skills.
Reflect on your own patterns and armour in relationships. Feel less driven by your belonging wounds. Cultivate and nurture relationships without losing yourself along the way. 
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4 // Gain clarity and confidence to reach for what - and who - you want and need.
Get in touch with what you really want and how you really want to feel in your relationships. Trust yourself to extend, receive, and request care from a place of authenticity. Build resilience for when you encounter othering.

Whats included in BBB?

9 2.5-hr group sessions (so that's 22.5 hours total) complete with educational information, practice time, reflection, and dialogue (and, if that sounds long, don't worry - each session will have a healthy break!).

Home practices, extra videos, and digital guides to help you integrate between sessions.

Email access to me for support between sessions if and when you need it, and discounted 1:1 session rates if and when you need even more support ($50 off my normal rate of $220/hr).

Home practices, extra videos, and digital guides to help you integrate between sessions.

Program at a Glance

Each session will begin with a grounding practice and a check-in, followed by somatic practice and debrief. You will receive prompts for reflection and optional home practices.

Week 1

September 14

Belonging & The Body

Get to know your cohort mates! Learn about belonging wounding from a politicized lens. Begin practicing cultivating a reparative relationship with your own body through somatic attunement.

Week 2

September 21

Resourcing

Learn about Polyvagal Theory and strategies for locating a sense of safety in your body. Practice attuning to your needs and responding with care.

Week 3

September 28

Practicing Complexity

Grow your capacity to feel more comfortable with the multiplicities of mixed race identity, as well as the liminality and the complexity of relationships. Learn how to discern between relational misattunements and harm.

Week 4

October 5

Finding Your Roots

Identify people, places, and other things where you can feel rooted and held. Practice feeling into and receiving support.

Week 5

October 19

Embodying Dignity

Gain a sense of dignity and bodily sovereignty through mindful strength-building practices. Work towards clarity about who you are.

Week 6

October 26

Reaching for Longings

Get more comfortable with the risks involved in expressing curiosity and desire while feeling connected to your roots. Explore your longings.

Week 7

November 2

Feeling Unmet

Presence lost, missing, or bypassed relational experiences with a grief practice. Create space for your grief to flow.

Week 8

November 9

Building Intimacy

Sense into what secure connection feels like. Expand your capacity for receiving and providing care.

Week 9

November 23

Integration

Reflect on your experience in Belonging Building Blocks. Report out on what's changed. Share what you are creating for your life.

What People Are Saying

“[I learned that] I can exist in my full self that is not fragmented, but layered, and that layered self can experiment freely and safely in the presence of others.”

“Each week, even the hard ones, I felt better. Connected to myself and to others. This has been paradigm shifting for me to end the week this way.”

“Raina - this is a beautiful course that you have created. Your presence takes it to another level. I appreciate your knowledge, your humanness and your humour. Thank you!”

"The framework was super supportive in understanding my needs and relationship to connecting with others and myself. I gained an understanding of how my body and thoughts are in relationship with each other. I started to really examine how much time I spend in my brain vs. my body and how that is impacting me."

"BBB gave us the space to explore and experiment that we don't have in our daily lives….It was so empowering to be in a space where we could explore ourselves and connect with the fullness of our identity." 

“For me, the experience was transcendent and transformative. New pathways have opened for continued practice and deeper connections. I will always be grateful to Raina and the cohort for this experience."

“Looking at belonging through this intersection/lens was so important and helpful for me. I never thought about how belonging impacts me daily and in so many aspects of my life. It was an area that I hadn't explored and hadn't heard much about and it also deeply applied to my life. It helped me understand and see things in a different perspective and it challenged some of my own patterns and beliefs.”

BBB is right for you if:

  • You long for a sense of belonging (or a deeper sense of it) with other people​

  • You feel stuck in a pattern of avoidance or people-pleasing and need insight

  • It’s hard to feel comfortable in your own skin and you want that to change

  • You want to stop overthinking and doubting yourself

  • You want to develop the relational skills needed to move the collective toward liberation

  • ​You have some basic skills in taking care of yourself should you feel overwhelmed during our sessions

  • You want to heal in community with other mixed race people

BBB might not be the right fit if:

  • You're looking for more of a group talk therapy vibe - We will talk and process, but we will also be doing experiential somatic exercises

  • You can't attend most of the sessions - This is relational work and half of the impact is doing it together

  • You aren't sure if it will feel emotionally safe for your body - you can always schedule a consultation with me first to determine if this group is right for you​​

  • You're looking for a quick fix - these are skills and resources that will continue to grow beyond our sessions

Your Investment

The full cost of BBB is $700, but I offer a sliding scale from $400 to $800.

You may choose where you fall on the sliding scale. I don’t ask for proof, I trust you to select the rate that falls within your means. If you can afford to pay more, please do - this helps support others who need a lower rate. If you need the lower rates, great! That’s why they exist.​​

You may pay in full or pay over 3 monthly payments.

​You can use this short questionnaire to help determine your investment:

  1. Are you and your family homeowners or landowners?

  2. Have you attended private education institutions or do you have an advanced degree?

  3. Are your bills or credit cards on autopay?

  4. Have you not had difficulty accessing and affording healthcare or health insurance for you or your family members?

  5. Do you have zero to no debt and/or do you have disposable income?

  6. Do you have a safety net composed of “financially stable” or wealthy family and friends?

  7. Did you experience early life abundance and are now only experiencing “temporary scarcity”?

  8. Are you able-bodied?

  9. Do you have U.S. Citizenship?

  10. Does your income only support you, and not other loved ones?

  11. Have you or do you expect to inherit money or property?

  12. Have you (or could you) have attended college and/or graduate school? 

Sliding Scale Rates based on your answers to the questions:

  • If you answered all no → Reparation rate ($400)

  • If you answered almost all no → Solidarity rate ($500)

  • If you answered more no than yes → Sustain rate ($600)

  • If you answered more yes than no → Full Cost rate ($700)

  • If you answered almost all yes → Redistribution rate ($800)

If you have access to organizational support, please pay at the sustain rate and up.

“The place in which I fit will not exist until I make it.”

- James Baldwin

FAQs

  • You will like this program if you like an experiential approach. To make the most of this program and to ensure a safe and supportive experience for everyone, it is recommended that participants have some previous experience with somatic/nervous system healing either 1:1 or in a group, and can recognize signs of nervous system activation. I also highly recommend you have support for processing and integrating what comes up during the sessions. If you aren't sure if BBB is right for you, please feel free to reach out directly to me (raina@mixedracebelonging.com)

  • The series will be recorded but I ask that you do not sign up if you cannot attend all or most sessions live.

  • I will ask that we all have our cameras turned on because we are doing relational work, but there will be times when you are more than welcome to be off camera so that you don't feel too "perceived" :) Most people end up liking this set up, because you really do feel more connected to others when you can see them.

  • 12 people maximum. The program will not run if there are less than 5 participants.

  • No matter how you personally identify, how you were raised, or how people read your racial identity, you are welcome here.