Transforming Trauma: Episode 100

In this milestone 100th episode of Transforming Trauma, NARM Senior Trainer Brad Kammer is joined by Chloé Valdary, public educator, anti-racism activist, and Founder of the Theory of Enchantment program. Theory of Enchantment focuses on bringing compassion to diversity and inclusion training by addressing bigotry with principles and practices based in love and compassion. Chloé has presented Theory of Enchantment to students, school administrators, individuals, and professional organizations across America, Europe and South Africa. The NARM Training Institute is proud to be one of the organizations that has trained in the Theory of Enchantment, and continues to benefit from Chloé’s teachings on the three principles of Theory of Enchantment.

At an early age, Chloé realized that taking a political approach would not be the answer to solving bigotry since resolving conflict in the typical anti-racist perspective typically leads to the creation of an “us versus them” approach. Thus she shifted her perspective from conflict resolution to a thesis of “how to get people to love others they see as different from them.” She turned to teachings from literature, art, philosophy, psychology and spirituality to create a model for addressing bigotry that would be truly and deeply inclusive.

Brad and Chloé reflect on the absence of the concept of love within mainstream western psychology and political/social justice fields respectively. Through this shift in perspective, and by studying what people already loved in literature, art and modern pop culture, Chloé created the three principles of Theory of Enchantment: (1) Treat people like human beings, not political abstractions. (2) Criticize to uplift and empower, never to tear down or to destroy. (3) Root everything you do in love and compassion.

Through their dialogue, Chloé and Brad dive deeper into the three principles of the Theory of Enchantment and draw connections in each other’s work such as acknowledging people’s need to create a sense of internal safety, how racism is a form of splitting, and how superiority and inferiority complexes come into play. Ultimately all of these pieces affect the relationships individuals have with themselves and others. 

Chloé highlights that at the core of her program she wants to provide a way for people to be in healthy relationships with themselves and in turn mean that people will be less likely to project their insecurities onto others. By turning the three principles into an ongoing practice, Chloé hopes that we can embrace our shared humanity and combat bigotry in all its forms.

We are grateful to Chloé for sharing her wisdom and creating this unique and accessible approach to compassionate anti-racism. We invite you to listen to the full episode to learn more about her approach and its connection to the world of complex trauma.

 

About:

Chloé Valdary is a public educator who created a powerful anti-racism program that is grounded in sociological, psychological and spiritual wisdom called the Theory of Enchantment. The program aims to teach a framework for compassionate anti-racism that combines social-emotional learning (SEL), character development, and interpersonal growth as tools for leadership development in the boardroom and beyond.

Her work has been covered in Psychology Today, and her writings have appeared in the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She’s lectured in universities across America, including Harvard and Georgetown. She continues her work with Theory of Enchantment to bring compassion to diversity inclusion training and fight bigotry with love.

 

Learn More:

Theory of Enchantment Curriculum