The way we conduct politics threatens our safety, belonging, and dignity. In this episode, Staci Haines helps us understand these threats and our reactions to them. She provides a somatic framework for understanding how we can move beyond that reactivity toward a new type of engagement that is grounded in our values and aligned with what we hope for this world.

In this episode, Staci and I discuss:

How our families, communities, and society influence the way we understand the rules of engagement for the political sphere
What somatics is and how it provides a pathway for change and the individual and collective level
Our inherent need for safety, dignity, and belonging and how politics threatens all three
What fight, flight, freeze, appease, and dissociate look like in a political context
How somatic awareness, releasing past trauma, and building new practices can move us beyond reactivity
Why relieving tension is not the goal of healing or political engagement
The inherent connection between individual and social healing

Spiritual Practices for this Election Season from Staci:

Somatic Centering for Political Engagement (Video Practice)
Politics and Trauma 2.0 Online Course
Free SomaSJ Practice community
Politics and Traum a book (Affiliate Link)

See our page on Spiritual Practices for Political Engagement for offerings from all our guests.

Connect with Staci on her website or through instagram @stacikhaines.

Connect with me at katie@thiselection.org or on instagram @katie.m.cochran.

The post Politics and Trauma: Moving Beyond Reactivity with Staci Haines appeared first on This Election.