Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have teamed up with US President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley to create a wellness center for women affected by trauma in Philadelphia.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who insisted they would remain politically neutral in public ahead of the state’s presidential election in November, are now connected to the First Daughter, 43, through a non-partisan initiative.
Their Archewell Foundation is a founding partner of Ashley Biden’s women’s wellness center in Philadelphia, according to the couple’s annual report from their organization. People magazine.
Harry and Meghan’s support of the Ashley center was revealed in the foundation’s Impact Report for the year 2023-2024, which was published on December 2 and illustrates the Duke and Duchess’ philanthropic efforts through the organization that founded in 2020.
The foundation reportedly donated $250,000 to Women’s Wellness (Spa)ce, “a walk-in wellness center consciously designed for women to gather, create, educate and meditate,” according to the Foundation’s 2023 tax records. Archewell.
Based in North Philadelphia and created by Ashley, the space aims to “improve all aspects of well-being (mental, physical, spiritual, and financial) by healing ourselves, caring for each other, and acting on behalf of our communities.” , a post on his Instagram page revealed.
In an interview with Elle in 2023, Ashley explained how she envisioned the space as a “drop-in space where women can eat a healthy meal, use the treadmill or box, listen to guided meditation, and access therapies including EMDR and “infrared saunas”. .
The principle of EMDR, which Prince Harry has previously praised for helping him process his past, is that the mind can heal from trauma by using external stimuli to help the brain process the traumatic experience and facilitate healing.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (pictured July 2024) have teamed up with US President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley to create a wellness center for women affected by trauma in Philadelphia.
Experts have compared EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, to the physical practice of removing a foreign object from a wound to help it heal.
In the UK, EMDR is recognized as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and is offered on the NHS.
During sessions, the client will be asked to keep different aspects of a memory in mind. They are then encouraged to use their eyes to follow the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth across the client’s field of vision, or to tap their hands.
Studies have connected these processes to biological mechanisms involved in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which highlight internal associations and help people process disturbing memories and feelings.
Although critics have dismissed it as pseudoscience, EMDR has a body of scientific research showing it is effective in treating severe trauma.
Not only is it available on the NHS, but the training is mandatory for frontline MoD mental health staff.
The practice was invented in 1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro, a researcher emeritus at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California.
Speaking of her experience, Ashley said: “I was able to get great treatment, so I was able to take some of the things I learned in therapy and use them as well.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who insisted they would remain politically neutral in public ahead of the state’s presidential election in November, are now connected to the First Daughter (pictured with President Biden in 2017), 43, through a non-partisan initiative.
In an interview with Elle in 2023, Ashley (pictured with first lady Jill Biden in June 2024) explained how she envisioned the space as a “drop-in space where women can eat a healthy meal, work out on the treadmill or in the box, listening to guided music. meditation and access therapies including EMDR and infrared saunas.
“EMDR did wonders for me when it came to my brother’s death,” he added, explaining how he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following the death of his brother, Beau Biden, who died in 2015, aged 46, after He was diagnosed with brain cancer.
“If you have money and something happens, you can go to the best therapist you can find,” Ashley continued. “That doesn’t happen with people who live in poverty.”
Ashley, daughter of President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, is a social worker who earned her master’s degree in social work from the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania.
In the interview with shethe First Daughter spoke about her hopes of creating a wellness center for women affected by trauma in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia.
“Drawing from his experience with the criminal justice system, Biden’s initiative is inspired by his work with the Mural Arts Women’s Reentry Program, which provides support and opportunities to formerly incarcerated women,” the Impact Report explained.
“The center aims to offer a safe haven and community for women affected by trauma, providing resources such as nutritious food, exercise, meditation and therapeutic interventions.”