What We Carry - Rev. Erica Poellot
There’s a lot of conversation about what supplies are provided by harm reductionists who work in syringe access programs. But what do spiritual care providers connected to the Harm Reduction Movement bring with them?
What is needed when directly addressing the grief and spiritual distress that accompanies the violence of the war on people who use drugs, overdose, and widespread systemic neglect? What is wanted when great milestones have been reached and must be celebrated?
This series highlights the offerings of chaplains that are part of Faith in Harm Reduction’s team.
I provide harm reduction spiritual care in a variety of contexts including with staff at OnPoint NYC, as part of FIHR’s street outreach team with our neighbors who use/sell drugs in Washington Square Park, as well as anywhere/anytime I get a call or text from a beloved harm reductionist who desires spiritual companionship. Lately this has looked like visiting a loved one and her family in the ICU, as they prepared for her death, picking up the ashes of a fellow organizer from the funeral home and holding them until all his friends could gather to celebrate and release him, praying with a colleague after they received a heavy diagnosis, celebrating the birth of another grandchild, and sitting quietly with countless other friends / colleagues / community members as they grapple with issues of loss, shame, meaning and purpose.
What medicine do you bring to those in the movement?
The medicine I bring to the movement is the medicine that I was given by movement elders and other spiritual teachers/mentors I have been in relationship with. I bring oil with which to anoint one another with the reminder of our sacredness. I bring wisdom from fellow harm reductionists, lovingly crafted into spells/blessings/prayers. I bring invitations to be heard and be seen. I bring a commitment to my own ongoing practice of healing, reflection and grounding. I bring life-saving overdose response tools. I bring reminders of those I love, symbols of the love that holds me, both reflective of the love I endeavor to share. More than anything, I bring a compassionate presence and belief in the divine in each of us.
Rev. Erica M. Poellot, MSW, MDiv is the founder and Executive Director of Faith in Harm Reduction and serves as the Minister of Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention Ministries for the National United Church of Christ. As a faith leader engaged in a long-term healing process from substance use disorder, Erica founded Faith in Harm Reduction to co-create a justice movement which connects people who use drugs, their loved ones, and communities of faith through the development of harm reduction centered spiritual resources, ritual support, and spiritual care. With joint MDiv/MSW degrees from Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University in NYC, Erica is based at Judson Memorial Church in NYC. Erica also serves on the Board of Directors for Safehouse Philadelphia and the Peer Network of New York.
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