Background:

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities consistently exhibit the lowest rates of mental health service utilization among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), only 8.6% of AAPI individuals used mental health services in 2019, the lowest rate compared to other groups. These disparities stem from a range of factors, including cultural stigma surrounding mental health, language barriers, and a lack of providers who offer culturally competent care. A study published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved reported that Asian Americans are two to five times less likely to access mental health services compared to their non-Hispanic White peers. Addressing these gaps calls for the development of culturally responsive interventions that integrate traditional Eastern healing practices with Western approaches to mental health care. Many existing approaches lack meaningful integration of Eastern cultural values and traditional healing methods into Western models of mental health care. The goal of our project is to bridge traditional medicine with mind-body practices and contemporary psychotherapy, including neuroscience education.

Our approach is inspired by foundational therapeutic techniques that promote grounding through the senses. However, these practices can be reimagined in playful, creative, and culturally resonant forms. We aim to show that peace of mind can emerge from self-directed activities, even within the fast pace of an urban environment, by highlighting walkable public third spaces in Los Angeles. We focus on healing in connection with the natural world, with special attention to the long-term mental health impacts of trauma caused by natural disasters such as the LA wildfires. By drawing from traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic practices, Japanese Morita therapy, and other mindfulness-based strategies, our project supports participants in discovering the vibrant third spaces of LA and fosters community healing.

Objective: 

This free, one-day, self-guided, and walkable event introduces the public to contemporary arts, AAPI culture, and evidence-based mind-body practices for cultivating emotional wellness.The festival transforms public third spaces of Chinatown with interactive cultural and arts-based programming rooted in the six senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, scent, and spirit. Through engaging, hands-on experiences, participants will learn practical ways to integrate these sensory-based healing practices into daily life, fostering mind-body wellness and community connection. Goal festival attendance is 1000 people, and it open to the public.

Hourly facilitated workshops with walk-in self-guided activity stations will be hosted at various sites, allowing attendees to explore at their own pace. Each workshop is uniquely designed through a collaborative process between artists, licensed mental health practitioners, and community-based organizations—key forces in public healing that nurture Chinatown’s vital third spaces.

By offering creative, cross-cultural, and evidence-based mind-body approaches to mental health, the festival provides an accessible and immersive space for the public to experience practical psychotherapeutic education and guided practices that support emotional resilience and well-being.

Proposed Project:

Our multisite programming is from 1-7pm with option to continue exploring Chinatown and night market until 11pm.

List of workshops:

To be included in poster 

Multisite map:

To be included in poster

Project partners and roles:

• UCLA center for east west medicine: acupressure and tea facilitation, general logistics, funding from Tang fellowship and Hui Integrative medicine
• CSC: volunteers and general logistics, therapists
• Mental health resources: SIPA, SAN, DMH, Queer Asian Social Club, and more.
• Dr Shervington Psychiatrist CDU: healing red tent for trauma informed care
• DS Thai Night Market: stage, sound, and night market access
• Chinatown business bureau: connecting to local businesses
• Eunis Hernandez Councilmember: sitewide informational signs and sidewalk stickers
• Hilda Solis Board of Supervisors: parking and traffic flow
• LA YMCA: art therapy alongside community art sculpture
• Community therapists, artists and facilitators (calligraphy, narrative writing, story telling, horticulture, movement, weaving, sound bath)

Target Audience:

This event is free and open to all and will be located in Chinatown, Los Angeles and highlight AAPI culture with an estimated 1000 attendees throughout the day.