DEI and the Nervous System

You might be wondering what DEI — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — has to do with the nervous system or mental health. It's a fair question.

From a holistic perspective, everything is interconnected. There are no isolated parts of us, and no part of our environment stands alone. Our mental health influences our physical health, and vice versa. The systems we live within — political, economic, social, and environmental — also shape our well-being in ways we often underestimate.

As Selam Debs, an Anti-Racism Coach and Consultant, reminds us, "The systems we are operating in impact all of us."

Many people are familiar with the BioPsychosocial Model, which considers factors in health, illness, and human development, like genetics, family dynamics, coping skills, and self-esteem. We might expand this to include economic and environmental conditions: access to clean drinking water, stable housing, safe neighbourhoods, and food security. But we need to go further still — to include the impacts of oppression, injustice, and inequity.

While I'm not an anti-racism educator, and this is not a blog about DEI, this is a reflection for people in white bodies about why educating ourselves matters — and that doing so can feel uncomfortable, challenging, and even activating for our nervous systems. Awareness of this can be an important first step so that when things get uncomfortable - and they will when change is involved - we stay and work through rather than evade and resist.

When we look at mental and physical health, we need to consider the full range of influences. For example, if I'm working with a client experiencing depression, who is also facing significant financial strain and/or housing instability, while we can explore childhood experiences and trauma patterns — the reality is that this person is being re-traumatised daily by their current circumstances. Healing is limited when structural factors are still undermining someone's basic safety and stability.

The same is true when it comes to oppression, injustice, and inequity. These forces shape health — and the nervous system — across every dimension of life. That is precisely why DEI extends beyond the workplace: it aims to create equitable and respectful environments for everyone, in every system we move through.

Selam Debs speaks to how people in white bodies, and those with certain forms of privilege, have been conditioned into biases — often without realising it. It's like walking through life with blinders on, trained not to see the inequities affecting someone else's health, safety, or lived reality. Recognising this conditioning isn't about guilt. It's about awareness and responsibility.

So what does all of this have to do with the nervous system?

Conversations about DEI often activate our protective responses. When something feels unfamiliar, confronting, or uncomfortable, the nervous system instinctively shifts into protection mode. The impulse may be to shut down, minimise, intellectualise, or simply step away. This is a very human response — and it's also something we need to work with consciously.

When discomfort arises around topics like racism, privilege, or bias, the nervous system can generate defensiveness. Even when someone is simply sharing a truth or a perspective, we might feel guilt or shame and automatically react by withdrawing, arguing, or blaming.

Understanding the nervous system's role here isn't about making excuses. It's about learning how to stay present, grounded, and open when discomfort shows up. Having that awareness can remind us to pause, take a breath, bring attention into our feet, and give ourselves time to process before responding. It might also mean reaching out to someone we trust to help us work through what we're feeling.

Just as inner healing requires honesty, curiosity, and nervous system awareness, so does societal healing. We can't create meaningful change without first being willing to look at what's difficult. As Dr. Gabor Maté often teaches, facing truth hurts — and it can also set us free.

I encourage you to learn from those doing this work directly. Selam Debs offers The Anti-Racism Course and several Free Guides including 10 Ways White Women Can Dismantle White Supremacy, which explores topics like tone policing, the white saviour complex, meritocracy, and spiritual bypassing.

I also highly recommend the Indigenous Cultural Safety training through San'yas, which offers essential education on the historical and ongoing impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples.

And you may be interested in the RNAO article RNAO Celebrates Black History Month 2026 which includes additional links including achievements, leadership and contributions of black nurses.

These resources can support both personal growth and the broader collective work we're all being called into — work that takes dedication, honesty and courage, while holding awareness of the nervous system.

And finally, if you would like more information on the nervous system and strategies, check out the blogs here. You may want to start with Stress Is Not Just Stress and you may also be interested in: Breathe Your Way to Balance and the blogs on EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) - Unlock The Power of EFT and EFT Tapping As A Self-Help Tool.

Written by Michele Venema BScN, RN, Psychotherapist, cEFT2 AEFTP
Nurse Psychotherapist/EFT Practitioner

From Shadows to SoulLight Counselling