From one of the most prominent voices in the trauma conversation comes a groundbreaking new way to heal on a personal and a collective level.
'A visionary, personal, compassionate, empowering guide' BESSEL VAN DER KOLK
'Beautifully intimate and wildly expansive' BREN BROWN
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What would it do to movements, to our society and culture, to have the principles of healing at the very center? What does it mean to center healing in every structure and everything we create?
As we emerge from the past few years of collective upheaval, are we ready to face the complexities of our time with joy, authenticity, and connection? Now more than ever, we must learn to heal ourselves, connect with one another, and embody our values. In this revolutionary book, Prentis Hemphill shows us how.
What It Takes to Heal asserts that the principles of embodiment - the recognition of our body's sensations and habits, and the beliefs that inform them - are critical to lasting healing and transformation. Hemphill, an expert embodiment practitioner, therapist, and activist, who has partnered with Tarana Burke and Esther Perel, among others, shows us that we don't have to carry our emotional burdens alone. Hemphill demonstrates a future in which healing is done in community, weaving together stories from their own experience as a trauma survivor with clinical accounts and lessons learned from their time as a social movement architect.
In this life-affirming framework for the way forward, Hemphill shows us how to heal our bodies, minds and souls - to develop the interpersonal skills necessary to break down the doors of disconnection and take the necessary risks to reshape our world towards justice.
About the Author
Prentis Hemphill is a writer, embodiment facilitator, political organizer, and therapist. They are the founder and director of the Embodiment Institute and the Black Embodiment Initiative, and the host of the acclaimed podcast Finding Our Way. Their work and writing have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, You Are Your Best Thing (edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown), and Holding Change (by adrienne maree brown).