By: Emi Gilbert
For many of us, our current political climate has provoked a nervous system state of defeat and numbness. In polyvagal terms, a common response to current events has been a “dorsal vagal shutdown,” in which we are immobilized, collapsed, and frozen.
Unfortunately, this frozenness is the exact type of response that benefits oppressive systems, keeping the marginalized silent and without the energy to resist.
So how can we reconnect with our bodies and transform “immobilization” into “mobilization”? Adrienne Maree Brown, a Black feminist activist and writer, compiled a collection of essays in Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good (2019). In it, she argues that experiencing pleasure (such as through friendship, community, sexuality, and intimacy) is a form of active resistance. When the grand political environment feels so dire, many of us feel a sense of guilt or shame when experiencing pleasure. Brown instead insists that feeling pleasure fosters a sense of “aliveness” that is inherently powerful.
At the very least, Brown frames pleasure as harm reduction within an oppressive society, mitigating the dehumanizing effects of marginalization.
Brown’s philosophy is not new. She quotes Audre Lorde (another Black feminist activist), who stated that self-care is “not self-indulgence; it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
In practical terms, Brown encourages using somatic exercises to tune into our bodies and understand what brings us a sense of “yes.” A few other practical principles include:
- Meditating
- Keeping a “pleasure journal” of what brings you joy
- Laughter, dance, singing, and food
- Setting boundaries and “only saying yes when you mean it.”
- Investing in relationships
For more ideas, see Brown, A. M. (2019) Pleasure Activism: The Politics of feeling good. AK Press.
