DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, therapist and trauma expert Resmaa Menakem discusses the concept of somatic abolitionism, an embodied anti-racist practice for living and culture building. He emphasizes the importance of addressing racial trauma through embodied practices rather than solely intellectual means. Menakem argues that white people need to develop a living, embodied, anti-racist culture among themselves, rather than looking for Black or Indigenous gurus to guide them.
Menakem explains the difference between clean and dirty pain, and how individuals must learn to metabolize and use their pain as fuel for growth rather than suppressing it. He also highlights the significance of historical and intergenerational trauma, and how it manifests in the body and culture if left unaddressed. The discussion touches on the role of constriction and sensation in the healing process, and the need for white people to condition themselves to work through racial discomfort.
Throughout the conversation, Menakem challenges the effectiveness of liberal approaches to addressing racism, suggesting that they often lack the embodied work and communal conditioning required for genuine transformation. He emphasizes the need for sustained, committed practices that allow individuals and communities to metabolize and heal from the deep-rooted trauma of racism.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Somatic abolitionism is an embodied anti-racist practice that involves working through racial trauma in the body, rather than solely through intellectual means.
- There is a distinction between clean pain, which can be metabolized as fuel for growth, and dirty pain, which is suppressed and leads to harmful patterns.
- Historical and intergenerational trauma manifests in the body and culture if left unaddressed, and can contribute to personal struggles like addiction.
- White people need to develop a living, embodied, anti-racist culture among themselves, rather than relying on Black or Indigenous leaders to guide them.
- Sustained embodied practices and communal conditioning are necessary for genuine transformation, beyond simply reading books or discussing ideas.
- Liberal approaches to addressing racism often lack the embodied work and communal conditioning required for true healing and change.
- Addressing racial discomfort and working through the charge of historical trauma is essential for personal and societal growth.
- Families and communities play a crucial role in modeling and transmitting embodied anti-racist practices to future generations.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “There's no appetite for what it takes to condition themselves, and not condition themselves, but condition themselves so their babies can actually. So most of us, our kids, don't learn from just our instruction. They learn from what our bodies recoil from and lean into and conditioning ourselves. To be able to say, I have to do some conditioning and tempering so my babies experience more room around race. Not just instruction around race, but they actually experience, oh, mama can work with that. Mamas can work with. They know. You know what I mean?“ by Resmaa Menakem
- “This is why when I'm working with people who are addicted and they don't want to deal with race. I'm like, oh, you are in an environment in which the whole construct of this shit was predicated on pigmentocracy. And you think that that's separate from your addiction? You literally believe that your unwillingness to work with race is not fueling some, at least a little piece of your addiction.“ by Resmaa Menakem
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Episode Information
We Can Do Hard Things
Glennon Doyle and Audacy
7/2/24