My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts

by Resmaa Menakem

ANCHOR 5: SAFELY DISCHARGE ANY ENERGY THAT REMAINS. This anchor is underused and poorly understood, but it is no less important than the others. Use this anchor only after you have worked through the conflict, or disengaged from it, or agreed to stop focusing on it for now. If you watch animals in the wild, you’ll see that after a high-stress situation has passed, they’ll instinctively discharge their built-up energy. A zebra that has just outrun a lion will vigorously shake itself or ripple the skin along its back. Other animals will roll on the ground or run in a circle or pick brief mock fights with each other. After you have been in the heat of a conflict, its energy remains bottled up in your body. For your physical and emotional wellbeing, discharge it as soon as you reasonably can. Allow yourself to experience your body’s natural defensive and protective urges—and then discharge them. Here are some good ways to do this: