If you are aware of an emotion in your body & you ignore it, are you really ignoring it? Because you did become aware of its existence.

If you suppress the expression of an emotion you still feel the emotion.

How someone processes emotions is socially and culturally dependent. How they express themselves is also culturally dependent. There can never be one particular way of feeling something that is absolutely right that has to be enforced on all bodies irrespective of their upbringing.

This presentation re-examines myths associated with Dopamine, Testosterone and Oxytocin. It further explores how colonial and post-colonial frameworks have shaped the ways societies value, regulate, and pathologize emotions. It highlights the historical and ongoing biopolitical strategies that prioritize certain emotional expressions while suppressing others, particularly in marginalized and colonized communities. Participants will explore the interplay of cultural norms, emotional imperialism, and contemporary psychological practices, and gain insight into decolonial approaches to working with emotions that honor embodied and culturally situated emotional experiences.

🎤 Presented By: Nishita Rao

📌 What to Expect:

• Neuroscience Debunking of Dopamine, Testosterone and Oxytocin
• Biopolitical analysis of Emotions and its perception by society
• Analyze Psychotherapeutic Techniques to assess who is centered in the creation and usage of the technique
• Detailed outline & references of everything covered in the workshop

👤 Who Is This Space For:

• Counsellors, Therapists, Clinicians
• Paramedical, Medical Professionals
• Educators, Parents, Sport/Wellness Coaches, Direct Support Professionals
• Trauma Professionals and Individuals recovering from Trauma

 🧠 Learning Objectives:

• By the end of the session attendees will be able to analyze how socio-cultural and colonial frameworks have shaped the pathologizing and regulation of emotions across diverse communities.
  • Core Knowledge Areas: C, D, P
  • Sexuality Education Skills Training: D
  • Sex Therapy Training: F
• By the end of the session attendees will be able to critique dominant therapeutic approaches such as talk therapy and mindfulness for their reliance on Eurocentric ideals of emotional regulation.
  • Core Knowledge Areas: A, O, P
  • Sexuality Education Skills Training: F
  • Sex Therapy Training: A

Accessibility: Zoom offers live captioning. If further accessibility tools are needed please let us know.

Please Note: This workshop will be recorded for sale after. 

Belly Dance or ‘danse du ventre’ as it was previously coined in French, was used to forcibly categorize dances across Northern Africa under one umbrella. While Raqs Baladi is a more appropriate terminology to reference 'dances of the country' and Raqs Sharqi to reference Oriental Dance today, this session will delve into dance forms that existed prior to and during colonization: Hagala, Alexandrian, Melaya Leff, Henna, Semsemiya, Bambotiya, Dahia, Mashreqiya, Debka, Fallahi, Ghawazee, Gypsy, Baladi, Jawary, Awalem, Oriental, Saidi, Tahtieb game, Bedouin, Kaffafa, Zagala, Burmia Baharia, and 14 different types of Nubian dances, Whiplash, Hosit

The presentation will not be centering Western interpretations of Belly dance. We will also be investigating invented traditions, the concept of nationality, and subjugation of dancers and sex workers.

🎤 Presented By: Nishita Rao

📌 What to Expect:

• Authentic representations of dances of Egypt
• Analysis of the feminization, sexualization and commodification of dances & sex workers
• Archival videos of the dances from across the country including the first movie to be censored by the US media because the dancer was shimmying

👤 Who Is This Space For:

• Dancers, Dance Enthusiasts, Performers
• History Nerds, Educators, Researchers
• Anyone interested in learning about Orientalism and its impact on not just daily life but clinical, therapeutic and academic spaces

🧠 Learning Objectives:

• By the end of this presentation, participants would be able to critique the Orientalization and Sexualization of the Indigenous Art Forms.
  • Core Knowledge Areas: A, C, D, E, F, J, P, Q
  • Sexuality Education (SE) Skills Training  a. Theory and methods of general education (including curriculum development, delivery, and evaluation) 
• By the end of this presentation, participants would be able to analyze invented traditions, choreographing politics and systematic erasure of dancers.
  • Core Knowledge Areas: C, D, E, F, P, Q
  • Sexuality Education (SE) Skills Training  d. Approaches to sexuality education with specific populations 

Accessibility: Zoom offers live captioning. If further accessibility tools are needed please let us know.

Please Note: This workshop will be recorded for sale after. 

Workshop Recordings

Missed one of our workshops? No problem! You can purchase the recording below and still get AASECT CEs.