JUDY ATKINSON IS A TRAUMA HEALER
SUBJECT
Judy Atkinson
OCCUPATION
Academic
INTERVIEWER
Lydia Fairhall
PHOTOGRAPHER
Tammie Joskie
LOCATION
Lisbon, Australia
DATE
November, 2019
It is a strange but also somewhat exciting time in the evolution of the Australian psyche. Storms have gathered, fires have raged, extremism has risen, sacred sites have been closed, and wallets, hearts and minds have been opened. The past few years in Australia have been a swirling, mixed bag of big feelings, seismic events and a shift in the collective consciousness that can only really come from mass suffering. But what really is suffering?
I am reminded of the statement: “the problem is the portal.” And when I sit in alignment with the ways of my Old People, the master creators, I am reminded that each injustice or wrongdoing is a breeding ground for a strengthened spirit and an alignment with ourselves as spiritual beings, rather than just humans. Although for some people this can take place as an intense enlightenment and profound awakening, sometimes it’s just about believing in a higher power because at least then there is something to blame.
Judy Atkinson’s work has largely focussed around the concept of dadirri, or deep listening. At a time like this, when it is so easy to sit across from the perceived opposition and fire automatic rounds until finally they either implode or rise up with a grenade, dadirri is our greatest gift. The awake and asleep parts of ourselves and of our country must listen to each other, for there are no social and environmental triumphs worth winning if they are achieved through war, violent speech or hatred. The process and the outcome are one.
Judy is a contemporary healer. Her voice is gentle and soothing but you wouldn’t mess with her—there is something in her energy field that is both potent and wise. She arrives at my house after a long drive and we go straight into a beautiful high energy that permeates the rest of our yarn together.
LYDIA FAIRHALL: Alright I’ve pressed record. And I always start by taking a moment to acknowledge country. So we’re on the homelands of the Gubbi Gubbi or Kabi Kabi people. And I offer my deep respects to the traditional owners. But first and foremost I want to acknowledge country and this beautiful land and space that we create and connect on and all of the abundance and love and support that it provides. It’s a big job [laughs]. The trees have got a big job.
JUDY ATKINSON: They do.
I thought we might be able to start right at the top with a high energy concept that most Blackfellas grow up learning about or feeling, which is dadirri. You’ve spoken a lot about this in your work, in that each nation or community has a different word for it, but the understanding is very similar across the country. How do you feel talking about that?
When I first realised that I had to try to understand the violence that I was seeing in Cape York with the Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council, I started to think about how I would do that, because it’s a hard topic for people to engage with. Somebody handed me the words of Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann. , the concept of deep inner listening and quiet, still awareness. She had given these words to the Australian nation on the 26th of January
