Grounding

2/2/2025

Surviving the trump administration, A Daily Thread. Episode 11: Grounding

After the cops murdered George Floyd in 2020, I started delving into some anti racism work for the first time.

One of the books I read in that first year was My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem - and then again last year, it was part of the required reading for my psilocybin facilitation training program.

I highly recommend it. Menakem, who is an activist and a therapist, explains how healing our own personal (and then collective) trauma is inextricably related to anti racism work. And he gives a multitude of exercises to do that healing work.

While Menakem relates healing to anti racism specifically, it’s clear that the need for personal and collective healing is tied up in every kind of activism.

When I engage with the news, it triggers fear and disappointment and an overwhelming desire to DO SOMETHING about our fascio-capitalist white supremacist patriarchy - and without any healing work, it’s natural to shut down in the face of all that anger and fear.

The thing is, fascio-capitalist white supremacist patriarchy DEPENDS on all of us running around in fight-or-flight mode, because then we’re not effective activists or connected humans.

So, one of the ways we fight back is by practicing regulating our nervous systems. Over and over and over again. This can be as simple as taking some deep breaths, noticing our surroundings, or noticing the sensations in our bodies. It’s a powerful, accessible entry point to deeper healing work.

When we learn to show up - even in uncomfortable spaces - with calm and grounded nervous systems, we offer that grounding to the people around us, and we’re better able to know what next action to take.

#survivingthetrumpadministration #fightfascism #notmypresident #standupspeakout #strongertogether