Taking care of our minds and nervous systems during times of unrest and protests

Law enforcement from various agencies in riot gear during clashes with protesters following the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. Photo: Harry Colbert, Jr.

Distress, fear and anxiety are words that are almost always used in public conversations about the impact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence and activity has had on Minnesotans over the past two months. 

Jamila Keisar

The Center for Broadcast Journalism and Power 104.7 FM talked with Jamila Keisar, a Somali American licensed independent clinical social worker and founder of Keisar Counseling, to learn what she has been observing as a mental health practitioner since the descent of thousands of federal agents across the state. Keiser also shares tools to employ when feeling overwhelmed.

Keisar’s practice works with individuals who are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological challenges during the perinatal period. 

The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Center for Broadcast Journalism/Power 104.7 (CBJ): Jamila, can you describe how you're feeling in this moment in time?

Keisar: Like many others, feeling overwhelmed. At times nervous, scared even. 

Although this moment isn't new to a lot of communities of color as we've been on the receiving end of discrimination and policing for decades on decades, I think that this has felt very intensified for a lot of folks. 

 CBJ: What are the general concerns of people that have been seeking out the support services of your practice lately? 

Keisar:  I am very privileged to service a very diverse population of folks, but have a business that's been really built on centering folks of color. A large percentage of my clientele are Black, brown and Indigenous. For a lot of the folks that I'm seeing and servicing, this moment has re-traumatized trauma that has already existed for our communities. Our communities have been discriminated against, we've been on the receiving end of prejudice and profiling. A lot of what this moment has resurfaced for folks has reminded them of a lot of trauma, maybe previous encounters with the police in their neighborhoods, moments where folks have been profiled. Symptomatically that has looked like a lot of dissociation for folks, numbness, anxiety and low mood.

CBJ: What advice do you have for managing those emotions at this time? 

Keisar: That's the million dollar question right now. It's hard. Although I have some tangible things that I think are super helpful and I'll definitely offer that – I think the realness of all of this is that folks don't feel safe. Folks don't feel safe leaving their homes and essentially, restoring that sense of safety is what folks really need. A systemic answer perhaps, and that's not one that can be easily offered in a therapy room, but I'm often working with my clients on a lot of grounding techniques. Mindfulness in their day to day with a large emphasis on trying to maintain a routine as much as possible. Many of the folks that I work with are on the front lines and that requires folks to meet the moment. I've been encouraging my clients as much as possible to try and put some boundaries in their day to day, regulating what time they sleep and what time they wake up, the nutrition that they're receiving, staying hydrated- so that we can stay sustainable in this revolution at this time. Maintaining a routine and implementing some mindfulness truly does help regulate our nervous systems. For the folks that I'm working with, their nervous systems are heavily impacted in such a negative way right now because of the hyper vigilance folks are feeling and the anxiety that comes with that.

CBJ: What is happening to our bodies when we are feeling these emotions that you've listed?

Keisar: Our bodies right now for a lot of us are in fight or flight. For most of us that means that we are freezing. Executive functioning can feel difficult in thinking about how to manage tasks in our day to day and a heightened sense of panic in a way that really demobilizes and destabilizes ourselves in our sense of safety- those are one of the most prominent ways I'm seeing this in my practice and in my work.

CBJ: What are some thoughtful techniques to help bring us to the present and fully back into our bodies?

Keisar: I am a big fan of naming it to tame it. Something as simple as doing a body scan and noticing – “Where am I carrying my anxiety?” naming it and recognizing – “Does my chest feel tight? Am I noticing that my hands are sweaty?” Recognizing some of the symptomology that we're having and naming the emotion does so much to decrease the levels of stress that we're feeling. That's a very quick way to provide some safety in what a lot of us are feeling. When in doubt, four-for-four-for-four breathing is really helpful. Breathing in for four seconds, holding for four seconds and exhaling for four seconds is one that I think is great to have in your toolbox.

VIDEO: Jamila Keisar offers an example of a breathing exercise to help calm the nervious system.

CBJ: What is your response to people that don’t initially see the significance of prioritizing the care needed for our nervous systems? 

Keisar: If we don't pause and tune in with our bodies, our bodies will make it known that we are stressed one way or another. To folks that are so often willing to give so much of themselves to others it's so important to give that radical care to yourself. Sustainability is so important right now with what we're seeing here in Minnesota and as it relates to what it means to be in a revolution or what it means to be someone who is pioneering activism. If we want to stay present and stay connected, we have to tune in to what our needs are. Our bodies will – maybe not right away, but eventually – stop us in ways of illness. Our body truly does keep the score and it'll let us know that it's time to stop. It's better to engage with ourselves and what our needs are then to hit that wall.

CBJ: There are a lot of people that are very cognizant of how history is replaying itself in this moment that we're living in. I'm wondering, do you have any historical reference for the importance of resting and taking care of oneself?

Keisar: I am Somali American and the first thing that comes to mind is the Civil War. It's not a civil war I lived through but it's one that a lot of my family has. In thinking about the trauma that my family has witnessed, my community has witnessed – it's been very difficult to carve out time for rest, especially as folks immigrated here, for a lot of reasons, including survival, pushing on day to day. That trauma reemerges and resurfaces somatic complaints, psychosis, and acute mental health illnesses that are often expressed in a more acute way I would say than some populations because of not tuning in with what our body is telling us and what our mental health requires at the time. 

CBJ: What is some truth that needs to be said about our mental health, our spiritual health and our physical health at this time that we might not typically hear from a practitioner like yourself?

Keisar: Two things come to mind; the first one being that I don't think that emotional healing and mental health always has to look one way and I don't think it has to be traditional talk therapy. I'm in the business of talk therapy and I think that healing can look like putting on your favorite playlist and moving about dancing around or it can come in the community. Spending time with trusted friends, community leaders, and faith leaders, can bring healing. Folks should be called to heal in a way that feels the most authentic to them.