Reclamation and emancipation in mindfulness and nature-based contemplative practice: A Sankofa-oriented collaborative autoethnography.

Mindfulness programs that ignore cultural context and fail to address liberation may not fully support communities affected by social injustices. Two Black women psychologists describe how their own experiences led them to create mindfulness-based, emancipatory contemplative programs for Black and other racially minoritized groups who have faced colonial-cultural trauma and ongoing oppression. Using collaborative autoethnography and guided by the African wisdom of Sankofa, they identified four pathways: returning home; sacredness of culture, spirituality, and nature; movement and flow; and release, resistance, and reimagining. One program uses soulfulness as an entry to mindful awareness; the other uses water-based contemplative healing. The authors suggest that centering cultural resonance and these pathways can enhance well-being and advance a justice-oriented approach.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions that lack cultural resonance and fail to address liberation can fall short in supporting the well-being of communities impacted by social injustices. This study aimed to identify and illuminate how the lived experiences of two Black women psychologists informed the creation of mindfulness-based, emancipatory contemplative practice programs designed for Black and other racially minoritized groups who have experienced colonial-cultural trauma and ongoing oppression. The study utilized collaborative autoethnography, a relational and reflexive qualitative research approach. Guided by a theoretical framework based on the African wisdom of Sankofa (return, retrieval, revitalization), the authors constructed narratives describing the emergence of contemplative practice programs from their own experiences of cultural reclamation and liberation. One program introduces soulfulness as an entry to mindful presence and awareness, while the other invites embodiment through water-based contemplative healing practices. Through introspection and collaborative reflection, the authors identified four themes conceptualized as emancipatory pathways: (1) returning "home"; (2) sacredness of culture, spirituality, and nature; (3) movement and flow; and (4) release, resistance, and reimagining. These pathways reflect a liberatory-decolonial ethos and offer healing-oriented recommendations for expanding experiential awareness and enhancing well-being. It is suggested that mindfulness and contemplative practice interventions with Black and other racially minoritized communities can be enhanced by centering cultural resonance, addressing the harmful disconnections of coloniality and oppression, and integrating these four emancipatory pathways into program design and delivery. By prioritizing reclamation and liberation, mindfulness-based programs can advance a more inclusive, transformative, and justice-oriented approach to individual, relational, and collective well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).