Racialized trauma is not just a collection of thoughts or ideas; it deeply shapes how our physical bodies respond to daily stress, survival fear, and our capacity for human connection. Resmaa Menakem’s ground-breaking teachings examine these involuntary, embodied responses, showing us how somatic practices can support true, lasting healing from the inside out.

At Sounds True, we have spent more than 40 years sharing spiritual wisdom and transformational teachings from leading teachers through books, audio, courses, and podcasts.

In this piece, we will discuss Resmaa Menakem’s approach to somatic abolitionism, racialized trauma healing, and personal and collective healing.

Key Takeaways:

• Embodied Awareness: Resmaa Menakem’s approach considers how bodily sensations and responses can deepen our understanding of racialized trauma healing.
• Somatic Practice: Somatic abolitionism emphasizes ongoing embodied practice as a way to recognize and work with patterns shaped by racialized experiences.
• Collective Healing: Menakem connects personal somatic work with relationships and communities, framing healing as both individual and collective.

Resmaa Menakem on Somatic Abolitionism

Resmaa Menakem describes somatic abolitionism as a deeply necessary work that takes place entirely within and through the physical body. Instead of approaching racism solely as an intellectual problem to be solved with our minds, this practice calls our kind attention to the raw, visceral physical responses shaped by racialized experiences.

In Resmaa Menakem on Somatic Abolitionism and Healing Racialized Trauma, the conversation considers how becoming more aware of bodily responses can support the deeper work of addressing racialized trauma.

How Somatic Abolitionism Addresses Racialized Trauma

Racialized trauma can influence how the body responds to discomfort, perceived danger, and interactions with other people. These responses may appear as tension, fear, withdrawal, defensiveness, or heightened alertness, sometimes before a person has consciously processed what is happening.

Somatic abolitionism brings attention to these bodily reactions rather than treating racial healing as an intellectual process alone. It asks us to notice how experiences related to race can become reflected in physical patterns and responses.

Menakem’s approach encourages people to recognize what their bodies have learned through experience and repetition. By paying closer attention to sensations and automatic reactions, people can begin to identify patterns that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Developing this awareness takes practice, but it can create more space between a bodily response and the action that follows. Over time, somatic practice can support a greater capacity to remain present during difficult moments and respond with intention instead of automatically returning to familiar patterns.

Understanding Racialized Trauma Healing Through the Body

Healing racialized trauma begins with the simple, courageous act of noticing what is happening physically within us. Sensations like sudden tension, a tight constriction in the chest, a surge of adrenaline, or a quiet impulse to withdraw are not flaws—they are your body communicating how it is experiencing a situation in real time.

Somatic practices provide a gentle container to help us become more familiar with these automatic responses. With steady, patient practice, we can expand our capacity to witness these bodily sensations, learning to stay anchored and present even through our most difficult experiences.

The Role of the Nervous System in Racialized Trauma Healing

The nervous system plays an incredibly important role in how the body recognizes and responds to perceived threats. Some reactions happen quickly, before there is time to consciously examine what is occurring.

Understanding these responses can bring another dimension to racialized trauma healing. Rather than focusing only on changing thoughts, somatic work also considers the patterns held and expressed through the body.

Somatic Abolitionism as a Practice for Personal and Collective Healing

Somatic abolitionism connects personal practice with a broader process of healing. Paying attention to the body can help us recognize habitual reactions and develop a greater capacity to stay present during challenging interactions.

This work also points toward the importance of practice over time. Embodied patterns develop through repeated experiences, and working with them calls for patience, awareness, and continued attention.

Bringing Somatic Abolitionism and Racialized Trauma Healing Into Community

Menakem’s teachings place healing within a larger relational and communal context. Our bodies respond not only to individual experiences but also to the environments, histories, and relationships that shape us.

Bringing somatic abolitionism into community means developing embodied practices that can support how people relate to themselves and one another. Through this work, racialized trauma healing becomes connected to the ways we build relationships, respond to discomfort, and participate in collective change.

Closing Thoughts

Resmaa Menakem’s illuminating teachings remind us that healing racialized trauma is a deeply embodied, collective practice that we cannot do in isolation. 

Through somatic abolitionism, learning to listen to our instinctive physical responses helps us recognize the heavy patterns we carry in our bodies. By shedding light on these hidden places, we naturally open the door to a more conscious, loving way of relating to ourselves, to one another, and to our entire community.

Frequently Asked Questions About Resmaa Menakem and Somatic Abolitionism

Who is Resmaa Menakem?

Resmaa Menakem is a therapist, author, and educator whose work examines the relationship between trauma, race, the body, and healing. His teachings emphasize embodied approaches to addressing the effects of racialization.

What influenced Resmaa Menakem’s approach to healing?

Menakem’s approach draws on his experience as a therapist and trauma specialist, along with his study of how trauma can affect individuals, families, and communities across generations.

What does “somatic” mean in Resmaa Menakem’s work?

“Somatic” refers to the body and bodily experience. In Menakem’s work, it describes paying attention to physical sensations and responses as part of understanding and working with trauma.

Is somatic abolitionism the same as traditional talk therapy?

Somatic abolitionism has a distinct focus on embodied responses and racialized patterns. Talk-based approaches may be valuable, while somatic practices specifically bring attention to sensations and responses occurring within the body.

Why does Resmaa Menakem emphasize practice and repetition?

Menakem presents somatic work as an ongoing practice. Repetition can help people become more familiar with bodily responses and strengthen their capacity to work with challenging sensations over time.

Can somatic abolitionism be practiced individually?

Individual practice can be part of somatic abolitionism, but Menakem also emphasizes relationships and communities. His framework considers how bodies interact with and respond to one another within a larger social context.

What role does history play in Resmaa Menakem’s teachings?

Menakem connects present-day racialized experiences with historical patterns and inherited trauma. This perspective considers how the effects of racialization may continue across generations.

Does somatic abolitionism focus only on moments of conflict?

No. Somatic awareness can be practiced outside moments of conflict. Becoming familiar with bodily sensations in everyday situations can help build the capacity to recognize responses when more difficult experiences arise.

How does Resmaa Menakem connect personal healing with social change?

Menakem’s work suggests that embodied personal practice can influence how people relate and respond to others. Individual healing therefore exists alongside relational and collective efforts to address racialized patterns.

Where can I hear Resmaa Menakem discuss these ideas?

Sounds True’s podcast conversation with Resmaa Menakem provides an opportunity to hear him speak about somatic abolitionism, racialized trauma, embodied practice, and collective healing in his own voice.

Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. She is the author of six books, including Skill in Action and Finding Refuge. Amy Burtaine is a leadership coach and racial equity trainer. With Robin DiAngelo, she is the coauthor of The Facilitator’s Guide for White Affinity Groups. For more, visit https://www.michellecjohnson.com/wisdom-of-the-hive.