How Does It Feel To Be ‘Here’ In Your Body?

If your body was a sponge your spirit would be the teeny-tiny pores soaking up both the energy surrounding you, and the energy that’s been passed down to you.

We’re constantly healing from the ancestral trauma we’ve inherited, and trauma from today’s assaults of anti-Black violence and policing. 

One side effect of trauma is dissociation. Symptoms can take the forms of memory loss, mental health issues, or a feeling of being separated from yourself and your emotions.

Long-term dissociation can feel like living on auto-pilot. Anti-Blackness wants us on auto-pilot because then we’re less likely to stand up to it. 

Resisting dissociation can feel overwhelming. The first step is committing to being here.

In her book “Undrowned,” Alexis Pauline Gumbs writes, “In the language I was raised, ‘here’ means “this place where we are,” and it also means ‘here’ as in “I give this to you.”

Gumbs continues with an offering, an affirmation for when we need encouragement to stay present: “Here. Here I am. Here I am with you. Here is all of me. And here we are. Here inside this blinding presence. Here. A constant call in a moving world.”

One of the most powerful forms of protest is intentionally being “here.” Remaining present in our bodies.

When we remain present, we remain open to self-healing, community, and God’s purpose.

We have a quick favor to ask...

We hope you're enjoying PushBlack Spirit! Spreading the truth about Black spiritual practices and history is just as important to you as it is to us.

And as a small non-profit, we need your support to keep spreading these important stories.

With as little as $5 a month, you will support our tech and writing costs, so we can reach even more people like you. It only takes a minue, so will you please donate now?