The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze. My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for Americans to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body. Author Resmaa Menakem introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.
Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, is a therapist with decades of experience in private practice in Minneapolis, MN, specializing in healing of trauma, conflict in relationships, body-centered psychotherapy, and violence prevention. He has appeared on both the Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil as an expert on conflict and violence, and for ten years he cohosted a radio show with US Congressman Keith Ellison on KMOJFM in Minneapolis. He also hosted his own show, “Resmaa in the Morning,” on KMOJ. Resmaa has served as director of counseling services for the Tubman Family Alliance, a domestic violence treatment center in Minneapolis; as behavioral health director for African American Family Services in Minneapolis; as domestic violence counselor for Wilder Foundation; and as trauma consultant for the Minneapolis Public Schools. From 2011–2013, Resmaa served as community care counselor for civilian contractors in Afghanistan, managing the wellness and counseling services on fifty-three US military bases. As a certified Military Family Life Consultant, he also worked with members of the military and their families on issues related to PTSD, family living, deployment, and returning home.
Resmaa studied with Dr. David Schnarch, author of the bestselling Passionate Marriage, and Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of the bestselling The Body Keeps the Score. He also studied and trained at Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. He teaches workshops on psychological first aid and leads programs on healing from white supremacy for both African American and European-American audiences.
Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, is a therapist with decades of experience in private practice in Minneapolis, MN, specializing in healing of trauma, conflict in relationships, body-centered psychotherapy, and violence prevention. He has appeared on both the Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil as an expert on conflict and violence, and for ten years he cohosted a radio show with US Congressman Keith Ellison on KMOJFM in Minneapolis. He also hosted his own show, “Resmaa in the Morning,&; on KMOJ. Resmaa has served as director of counseling services for the Tubman Family Alliance, a domestic violence treatment center in Minneapolis; as behavioral health director for African American Family Services in Minneapolis; as domestic violence counselor for Wilder Foundation; and as trauma consultant for the Minneapolis Public Schools. From 2011–2013, Resmaa served as community care counselor for civilian contractors in Afghanistan, managing the wellness and counseling services on fifty-three US military bases. As a certified Military Family Life Consultant, he also worked with members of the military and their families on issues related to PTSD, family living, deployment, and returning home.
Resmaa studied with Dr. David Schnarch, author of the bestselling Passionate Marriage, and Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of the bestselling The Body Keeps the Score. He also studied and trained at Peter Levine&;s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. He teaches workshops on psychological first aid and leads programs on healing from white supremacy for both African American and European-American audiences.
