Song of the Week

Listen to this song as you read to help open you up. You Get What You Give by the New Radicals. And remember…

Wake up, kids
We got the dreamers disease…

You've got the music in you
Don't let go

Updates

I’ve been thinking a lot about embodiment. I’ve attended two seders this week and will head to my third this weekend. It’s one of my favorite holidays because of how it invites embodiment and celebrates liberation for all people. That’s precisely why it is so difficult for people, including myself, to celebrate. To witness liberation narratives offered selectively is the opposite of liberation. Any group that does this, uplifting your own story of oppression, while erasing the way you oppress others is the definition of toxic. It always leads one down the same path, it’s not a pretty one.

How do we counter this toxicity which is so poisonous? Embodiment is one big powerful way. Let’s get into it.

Embodiment of our vulnerabilities AND being able to deeply empathize with someone else’s wounds is so important. Prentis Hempill talks about this embodiment as our “woundability.” Woundability is not just about sharing something private, it is about revealing our woundedness. Prentis shares how in spaces where fear and conflict is high, sharing that you have been wounded is how we interrupt the posturing of the ego.

Here’s the thing. Sharing that you have been wounded versus embodying that wound in front of another human, is an entirely different thing. Woundability is the stuff of our ancient brains, and it gets right to the point. When you see it, you feel it. It hits in ways that words cannot. It’s the stuff of transformation, breath, or lack thereof, whimpers, and the kind of tears that are so full of emotion, they signal for more social support than other kinds of tears. Yes there are many different kinds of tears. 

We can’t be embodied all the time in the U.S. for a lot of reasons. One of the reasons is that we can be punished for embodiment. You’ve probably been in the the kind of work, school, or home environment where that would not be safe, especially if you’re a part of a marginalized group that is barely scraping by. The tricky thing is, we are punished for our vulnerability because it is dangerous to domination. This isn’t new information for many of you, and I’m saying it again because it’s about practice not knowing here. Check out this reflection exercise by the Embodiment Institute on the Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power by Audre Lorde.

Audre Lorde talks about this in the Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power. Dominance requires that we shut off the parts of ourselves that feel. Sensations which are meant to stop us in our tracks to grieve or rest, go off-line and in their stead, numbness fills the gap. The only way through this is to learn how to feel again. I say learn because it is a skill, a skill that can be practiced and fine-tuned. This often requires another person who we trust, to come along for the ride, to titrate the overwhelm. Learning to feel again is not the end of it, but it is the first step.

The homework assignment I give to myself and my clients after we’ve done this in session together is to go outside and do this for little moments solo as able. We stretch these homework assignments into longer moments the better they become at it. Go somewhere beautiful, somewhere you feel safe enough, and feel the sensations of your emotions like wind blowing through and over you. Feel the actual wind too if there is one. It can help to bring an object with you to focus your grief or feelings on. This is what alters are all about. Track how sensations and feelings change when you notice, and be with them. When you feel supported, versus when you do not, track how different it feels. Move your joints as needed to assist with avoiding entering into a collapse and more numbness. If you can’t go outside, this can be done indoors, though I find it to be less powerful than a peaceful, safe, outdoor environment. I’ll be rooting for you as you do this! I hope it helps.

Schedule With Me

OTR/L, BA, MHP, LMT,
she/they) Integrative Therapies

I offer trauma informed somatic informed therapeutic coaching, craniosacral therapy, Swedish massage, Thai bodywork, myofascial release, group workshops, and healing through art, play, and connecting to nature.

FREE Somatic Approaches In Therapy Summit, thanks Maya for sharing!

How a Healthy Gut Fights Infection Study Finds

Makes sense and also parallels how to restore other ecosystems. If you want to keep, say Buckthorn, out of an ecosystem, plant as many other species instead so it can’t move into an empty landscape.

Community Events

Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness Of Nature: April 15th, 7p CST online. Hear Dr. Patricia Kaishian speak about her new book! My sister gifted this book to me for my birthday and I can’t wait for it to arrive!

BIPOC Meditation at Common Ground- Third Thursdays: April 17th, 6:30-8:00p in person and online. Free and donations are accepted to keep the center running.

AAPI Leadership Summit: April 21st all day. See details below.

Thanks for READING! xoxo Eiko