This was a really fantastic event - and I’m so grateful for the York St John University academics leading this challenge and disruption in academia.

Witches have occupied the academic imagination across disciplines and have in recent years become a rebellious feminist trope. From medieval trials to modern feminist reclamations, from folklore to popular media, witches embody resistance, transformation, and power. Whilst there is lively debate about the meaning and extent of the European and American witch trials and a burgeoning cultural milieu in which the trope of the witch is explored, there is also a growing interest in the practice of witchcraft as an individualised spirituality. 
​
This free interdisciplinary conference explored the figure of the witch in all its historical, literary, sociocultural, political, and spiritual dimensions.

Session 1: Gender & Resistance: The Struggle & Subversion of The Witch.

I was the first speaker in this session of the conference - challenging and disrupting - delivering a presentation entitled, Gender, Power, and Witchcraft: Women's ‘Spelling’ Lived Experience Storytelling.

My presentation …

Explored the motivations behind the four Girl God Books anthologies, which offer diverse perspectives on trauma, initiation, neurodiversity, and pain, reclaiming the feminine through storytelling and creative expression

Highlighted the power of ‘spelling’ - storytelling in reclaiming feminine wisdom, challenging patriarchal structures, and fostering spiritual healing

Centred embodied lived experiences - the writing, poetry, and art from a global network of women – to examine the intersection of witchcraft, Goddess spirituality, gender and power

"The pain stops me in my tracks.

What I have observed is that the onset of pain happens when I am too much ‘in my head’, serving others without reciprocation and/or neglecting my pleasure.

So, from that viewpoint, the pain is an ally, showing me that I am imbalanced, fractured from embodiment.

Our collective spiritual and physical immune system is reacting and saying NO.

Pain is a political and revolutionary statement from the body. A clear message that society, paradigms, culture and systems need to change."

Let's not get distracted or bypass this.
​
I ended my Gender, Power, and Witchcraft: Women's ‘Spelling’ Lived Experience Storytelling presentation at the superb Interdisciplinary Witch Conference @yorkstjohn with my words from the @girlgodbooks Pain Perspectives: Finding Meaning in the Fire anthology I co-edited (& one of four anthologies I spoke about) 

"Understanding neurodiversity as a form of body mind diversity, challenges traditional, narrow ideas of ‘normal’ and invites us to recognise the legitimacy of diverse ways of thinking, sensing, communicating, and existing.

Diversity and cohesion as partners: It’s easy to assume that celebrating differences might pull communities apart and that cohesion might reduce diversity. Cohesion arises not from uniformity, but from embracing differences within a shared framework of values, mutual care, reciprocity, responsibility, and a collective vision and purpose greater than the ‘I’.

Moving forward together: As we continue past the celebrations of Neurodiversity Pride Day and Pride Week, let us continue to hold two truths at once: we are wonderfully unique and individual body minds and we are interdependent.

Pride and cohesion are not in competition, they are essential companions."

Extract from my Neurodiverse Connection blog Celebrating and honouring body mind diversity.

Link below.

#educateevolveembody #bodyminddiversity #embodiment #spirituality #depathologise #rehumanise #bodymind #neurodivergent #diversity #communitycohesion #neurodiversity #neurodiversitypride #pridemonth

"To say that the body is silenced and occupied is to describe how systems of power and control, override or erase a person's natural, intuitive, and embodied ways of being and knowing. Especially when those ways fall outside of what's considered ‘normal’ or ‘acceptable’ by dominant cultural standards.

Moving Toward Liberation-Based Support 

We need to ask: who defines ‘normality’, and which behaviours and bodies are acceptable? Who benefits from a system that rewards uniformity and values conformity?  

If support is to be truly person-centred, it must honour the full humanity of all people, including Neurodivergent people, and their movement, impulses, and embodied ways of being in the world. 

Liberatory alternatives to PBS focus on co-regulation, meeting embodied and sensory needs, trauma-informed care, and deep listening. They validate the diverse ways humans know and express, including embodied ways of knowing and expressing, affirming that everybody has a wise ‘knowing’ body and that the goal of support is not control, but connection, safety, and respect."

Extract from my Neurodiverse Connection blog 'How Positive Behaviour Support silences and occupies the body' which is part of our #AgainstPBSandABA campaign

'It's time to ditch the carrot and stick'

Find out more about our #AgainstPBSandABA campaign, show your support and get involved

✔️Signing your support for the campaign position statement

✔️Sharing your story about PBS/ABA

✔️Signing up to our newsletter

✔️Share our social posts on LinkedIn and X/Twitter

by clicking here

Guide to PBS and ABA for professionals, parents and caregivers - a Neurodiverse Connection Original Resource

As part of our #AgainstPBSandABA you can download the PDF for free here 👇 please share.

"Furthermore, PBS embeds the fawn response, which is a trauma response in which individuals comply, appease, and people-please to avoid conflict or punishment. This behaviour can lead to a lifelong pattern of compliance and makes individuals more vulnerable to coercive control, with serious consequences for both mental and physical health. When an external stressor or threat to our nervous system overrides our natural fight-or-flight responses, we may feel compelled to appease authority and "perform" for those in power. This can trap us in a state of functional freeze—a survival mode in which we disconnect from our authentic selves. 

The long-term effects of these interventions go beyond personal distress; they serve a larger societal function. By producing individuals who comply without question, who do not challenge authority, and who prioritise external validation over internal autonomy, PBS ensures a workforce that neatly fits within capitalist structures. This is not about empowerment or self-actualisation—it’s about creating sanitised, obedient individuals who do the bidding of those in power."

Extract from my Neurodiverse Connection blog 'Positive Behaviour Support: discovery, reflection and radical rethinking' which is part of our #AgainstPBSandABA campaign