Raviraj Shetty

Mumbai, Maharashtra

Project: Narrative Practices India
Empowering individuals and communities to reclaim their agency by re-authoring their narratives rooted in mental wellbeing, healing and justice.

Raviraj is an occupational therapist, children’s book author, library educator, and teacher. He has set up the Wellness Lab in Tezpur, in Assam, to enable marginalized communities to respond to the polycrisis of mental health, well-being, and ecological belonging through narrative practice.

As the co-founder and director of Narrative Practices India (NPI), Raviraj and his peers have introduced Narrative Practice as an innovation in mental health. Narrative Practice is a practice of embodied healing and well-being that is rooted in the stories of people and communities.

Through dialogues, workshops, and diploma programs, Raviraj and his colleagues in NPI invite individuals and communities to ‘map’ their stories, memories, and histories. This enables them to locate the problem outside their bodies and in the system, and to see themselves as individuals with the knowledge, expertise, resources, and experiences to navigate their lives. The emerging narratives build the foundation of community-based programs of mental health, well-being, healing, and justice.

Over five years, NPI has trained more than 450 therapists, social workers, activists, educators, artists, and policy makers to create community-based mental health and well-being programs that are led by their authentic and embodied stories.

“In a world that is participating and pushing practitioners towards hopelessness and burnout, I often ask who and what systems of oppressive power benefit if we are made to feel hopeless, isolated, and burnt out.  In a world where we all are fighting for love, what would it mean to fight with love, and separate accountability from shaming and guilt-tripping practices?  I want to hold space where practitioners can reclaim burnout because we are not machines but hearts who are hurting and in need of friendships. The kind of friendships where we can cry and sit in our shared tears, laugh out loud until it hurts, hold hands for as long as it takes, share warm food cooked from my mother’s house, and shoulders to lean into when we are tired.  The ORA fellowship gives me an opportunity to lean into my mother’s wisdom to keep pleasure at the center of everything I do. ”

Follow along with Raviraj:
https://www.narrativepracticesindia.com/people
Instagram: @rantingchaos, @npicollective