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

by Resmaa Menakem

It’s especially important to practice Anchor 5. After you’ve been through a dangerous or high-stress encounter—such as seeing a dead child, attending to a gaping wound, being shot at, or shooting someone—your body needs to discharge any excess energy. If it doesn’t have that opportunity, the energy may stay stuck in your body—possibly as trauma. Here are some ways to discharge that energy: • Most forms of exercise, including walking. • Playing most sports. • Dancing. • Physical labor—heavy yard work, construction, snow shoveling, etc. • Following your body’s moment-by-moment guidance. You might experience a sudden urge to push your hands in the air, or run around the block, or shake your head vigorously and shout. Let your body do whatever it wants to do—so long as it doesn’t harm you or others.