#21 Belonging while Disabled

Jul 11

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In this very special episode, Dr. Mona welcomes guest Dr. Allison V. Thompkins. Dr. Thompkins’ book Spirituality Is For Everybody was written specifically to discuss how disabled people can find more connection and create inclusivity for themselves in physical spaces. Kicking things off, she shares that she was born with cerebral palsy (CP), which is caused by damage to the brain before, during or after birth. Generally, it causes a person to have difficulty controlling their muscles. For Dr. Thompkins, this means that her muscle tone fluctuates very quickly from high to low, causing an abundance of involuntary muscle movements.

In her book, Dr. Thompkins stresses the importance of finding a more customized spiritual practice that fits your own needs. The first step to creating a personalized spiritual practice is to explore what’s out there and see which ones speak to you. Start slow with your first practice and slowly increase its frequency, then eventually add other complimentary practices for a more well rounded perspective. When you begin doing spiritual practices, she explains, you will start to understand that you belong to the divine. Leaning into these will plant the intention that you are ready to experience belonging on this earth, and the universe will create more opportunities for you to experience belonging. To experience this, however, requires spiritual practices that put you in contact with the divine.

Dr. Thompkins feels that she did not choose to write about spirituality, but rather that spirituality chose her to write about it. She grew up going to church and learning age-appropriate spiritual lessons. In college, she became interested in how spirituality applies to disability. She found no literature that applied to her life. She wanted to eventually write her own book to inspire people with disabilities to fulfill their dreams. Just months after landing her dream job as an economist, Dr. Thompkins realized that she needed to retire and focus on her health. She enrolled with online spiritual teachers and she began to apply these practices to her own life.

When it comes to situations in which she feels isolated by able bodied people, Dr. Thompkins likes to say a silent prayer for each person she will meet in a day before she even gets out of bed in the morning. When you send love to others, a person will subconsciously sense the energy and love you sent to them and reflect that love back to you to the best of their ability when you are in their presence. This practice drastically reduces the number of unpleasant incidents she experiences. As a disabled person of color, Dr. Thompkins tends to feel the most belonging when her perspectives and opinions are valued by others. In closing, she shares what belonging means to her: knowing and embodying who she is and from what she comes.

**While the language used in this episode is mostly identity-first, we acknowledge that some folx prefer person-first language.**

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0:09 - Dr. Mona introduces today’s guest, Dr. Allison V. Thompkins.

3:04 - Dr. Allison V. Thompkins introduces herself.

5:36 - Identity vs. person first language.

7:44 - Dr. Thompkins shares about her disability, CP.

10:21 - Creating personalized spiritual practices and attracting belonging.

20:29 - Dr. Thompkins’ choice to write about spirituality.

28:22 - Dr. Thompkins’ experience in drum circles.

36:50 - Navigating isolating situations around able bodies people.

43:13 - When Dr. Thompkins feels the most seen.

45:35 - The importance of language for fostering belonging.