Ayanthi De Silva
Ayanthi De Silva is a Sydney based psychologist and animal rights activist since becoming vegan in 2018. She has a keen interest in the ever-present moral injury endured by vegans living in a non-vegan world, the psychological demands placed on activists and mitigating burnout. Combining her clinical background with lived experience in animal advocacy spaces, Ayanthi is invested in the long-term sustainability of the animal rights movement and supports advocates to cultivate resilience, emotional clarity, and practices that allow them to continue showing up without burning out.
www.ponderwell.com.au
Guarding the Flame: Resilience and Renewal for Animal Advocates.
Animal advocacy asks us to hold immense empathy, grief, anger, urgency, and hope – all at once. Guarding the Flames is a workshop designed to help activists remain engaged without burning out. Centred on the emotional realities of living as a vegan in a non-vegan world, this session explores moral injury, vicarious trauma, and the psychological strain of witnessing ongoing exploitation to animals while actively fighting to dismantle these systems. Through an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-informed, experiential approach, participants will learn practical strategies to move through despair, and reconnect with their values in a sustainable way. The workshop includes guided grounding exercises, burnout check-ins, and tools for boundary setting, pacing, and long-term resilience. Attendees will leave feeling greater self-compassion, and better equipped to continue advocating for animals without losing themselves in the process.
