Root Shock

About Root Shock

What even IS health under late-stage capitalism? Hosted by Hannah Tytus, Root Shock explores healing and liberation through cultural critique, anthropology, and lived experience. We examine how medicine, health, and wellness are shaped by systems of power. We’re asking who defines “health,” who benefits from those definitions, and how we might bring more justice to our collective healing. rootshock.substack.com (https://rootshock.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Healing & Liberation With Hannah Tytus

Category

health & fitness · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Dec 2025

Latest episode

28 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2026

   RITUAL: Autumn Sleep Story | A 20-Minute Guided Sleep Meditation for Deep Rest

   The seasons shift, the winds blow in promises of change. The body’s energies begin to turn inward, slowing and molting and asking for more stillness as the nights grow longer. This month on Root Shock (https://rootshock.substack.com/p/09-sleep-safety-and-rest-with-dr?r=60ohgx), we talked about sleep hygiene, sleep health, and the many things that shape how well (or how poorly) we rest. We put our bodies in community context, and acknowledged the ways in which sleep can be a social justice issue. Today’s ritual is the practice side of that conversation, a sleep story to drift off to in your own cozy fall cabin atop a hillside. We settle in with the breath, feeling the earth rise to meet you on each inhale. Then we walk through an autumn forest of golden aspens and dark pines to a little cabin on the hill, with candlelight in the windows and a fire in the hearth. You climb into a warm bed, watch the sunset fade to black, and let the stars tell their stories to your heart. 🌙 A few notes before you begin: Please don’t listen while driving or doing anything that needs your full attention. If you listen on Spotify, you can set a sleep timer so the audio stops at the end of this episode. And if sleep doesn’t come tonight, that’s okay too. Resting still counts. Find more practices in the Rituals (https://rootshock.substack.com/s/rituals) archive. If you’re loving this content, share it with a friend! This helps buoy me to keep producing more material like it. I hope you dig it! Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   14 Oct 2026

   09: Sleep, Safety, and Rest with Dr. Catherine Darley

   Sleeping Well It’s autumn. The days are getting shorter, the air is cooling off, and the natural world to which we are a part is starting to turn inward. In my own life there are many changes afoot, and in seasons of transformation it is easy to get swept up by the winds of change as they blow through—shifting our work schedules, sleep cycles, family commitments, and priorities. That makes it all the more important to make space for stillness, grounding, and rest. So this month, we’re spending a whole episode on sleep. In a world that glorifies the headlong busy rushing through our workdays and the “I only got four hours” humble-brag, it is countercultural to remember and rejoice in the healing potential of a good night’s rest. When it comes to sleep wellness content, we are awash in supplement recommendations, insomnia quick fixes, weighted blanket ads, and breath techniques to offset the madness we are all living through. Some of that helps, and you’ll find plenty of practical tools in this episode. But I want to demonstrate that sleep, like any other health concern, exists in a context that goes far beyond the individual. Your body exists in a context. The lights, the sounds, the news cycles, and the dominant cultures we live under all have an impact on our psyches and bodily systems, and in many ways they disconnect us from the seasonal rhythms of the earth and of our own bodies. Your body also exists in relationship: to other people, to time, to work and rest, to night and day. So when there’s a problem with your body, like poor sleep, I’m of the opinion that the solution goes wider than your individual body. Our whole community is at stake. We are all better off when our neighbors sleep well. When our doctors, nurses, PAs, teachers, police officers, firefighters, and first responders sleep well. That’s why rest is a collective endeavor, and one that can be discussed with a wider lens than individual solutions alone. Takeaways from this episode Content note: This episode includes brief discussion of family loss, police violence, enslavement, and domestic violence. Take care as you listen, and feel free to pause and come back. * Sleep sits alongside diet and exercise as a foundation of health. Adults need 7 to 9 hours, teens 8 to 10, and kids 10 to 12. * Chronic short sleep wears down our ability to notice how impaired we are. After a few nights, many people feel like they’ve adapted even as their performance keeps dropping. * Drowsy driving is uniquely dangerous because microsleeps mean drivers often don’t brake or swerve at all. * Sleep reflects safety. Bullying, neighborhood stress, air pollution, and worry about loved ones all show up in how people sleep, and sleep loss is unevenly distributed by race. * Sleep loss can amplify biases people already hold. That makes overtime, shift scheduling, and workplace culture in policing and healthcare a matter of public safety. * At home: get morning sunlight without sunglasses, dim your lights for about three hours before bed (blue-blocking glasses help), keep melatonin doses low and talk to a professional before starting supplements, and save your thinking and planning for somewhere other than your bed. * My tip: try legs-up-the-wall pose in bed for 5 to 10 minutes when your mind won’t settle. A guided evening wind-down practice is coming in two weeks on Root Shock Rituals. Some figures in the conversation, including the melatonin suppression percentages for different light sources and the drowsy-versus-drunk driving comparison, are shared from Dr. Darley’s clinical experience and expertise. About our guest Dr. Catherine Darley (https://www.beaskilledsleeper.com/) is a naturopathic physician and sleep specialist based in Seattle. She founded the Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine to offer natural, less invasive solutions to a very common problem: poor sleep. She works with patients, trains other doctors, and teaches sleep health to employees at companies and agencies. * Naturopathic Sleep Medicine (http://naturalsleepmedicine.net) * Skilled Sleeper (http://skilledsleeper.com)courses and resources * Her Substack (http://beaskilledsleeper.substack.com) Works Cited & Further Reading Blumenstein, L. (2009). Domestic violence within law enforcement families: The link between traditional police subculture and domestic violence among police [Master’s thesis, University of South Florida]. Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/1862 (https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/1862) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 15). FastStats: Sleep in adults. https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data-research/facts-stats/adults-sleep-facts-and-stats.html (https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data-research/facts-stats/adults-sleep-facts-and-stats.html) Gallegos, A. M., Trabold, N., Cerulli, C., & Pigeon, W. R. (2021). Sleep and interpersonal violence: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(2), 359–369. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019852633 (https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019852633) Hersey, T. (2022). Rest is resistance: A manifesto. Little, Brown Spark. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tricia-hersey/rest-is-resistance/9780316365536/ (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/tricia-hersey/rest-is-resistance/9780316365536/) Hersey, T. (n.d.). About. The Nap Ministry. https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/about/ (https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/about/) https://triciahersey.com Johnson, D. A., Reiss, B., Cheng, P., & Jackson, C. L. (2022). Understanding the role of structural racism in sleep disparities: A call to action and methodological considerations. Sleep, 45(10), Article zsac200. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsac200 (https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsac200) Schober, D. J., Forbes, C., Ignoffo, S., & Lynch, E. B. (2025). Bridging the sleep gap: Barriers and strategies for meeting the national sleep guideline among Black women. Sleep health, 11(6), 816–822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2025.09.004 Scullin, M. K., Hebl, M. R., Corrington, A., & Nguyen, S. (2020). Experimental sleep loss, racial bias, and the decision criterion to shoot in the Police Officer’s Dilemma task. Scientific Reports, 10, Article 20581. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77522-z (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77522-z) Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   RITUAL: Butterfly Hug — A Heartbeat and Bilateral Tapping Practice for Nervous System Regulation

   Your heartbeat is a drum. It has been beating with you since long before you had a body of your own to carry it in. This ritual is a companion practice to this month’s and July’s episodes on Indigenous and West African drumming traditions. You carry a drum inside your body wherever you go. And today, we tap into that space. Over the past three months, we sat with Dr. Daniel Dickerson and Francis Agyakwa as they spoke to drumming as sacred technology — a way of calling the nervous system back into connection, out of isolation, into regulation. Today's ritual brings that rhythm inward, and then back out again. In today's ritual, find any position that works for you: lying down, sitting tall, or standing. We begin hand over heart, simply noticing the tempo and quality of this inner drum, without judgment or attachment. From there, we move into a gentle butterfly hug, tapping right, then left, then right again. This bilateral tapping signals safety to your nervous system. As the tapping slows into a warm embrace, we remember that your heartbeat was once shared rhythm, shared drums, inside your mother. And even now, Mother Earth's heartbeat is still here, still with you. You need only listen. ⚠️ A note on safety before you begin: This practice uses bilateral stimulation — the same left-right, alternating pattern used in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a trauma-processing modality used by licensed therapists. Bilateral tapping is also used in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and under the simple name “butterfly hug”. It can be genuinely soothing and regulating, especially in moments of acute anxiety or panic. But because it echoes a clinical trauma-processing technique, it can also occasionally bring thoughts or feelings closer to the surface than expected. If anything challenging arises as you tap, you have options: slow the tapping down significantly, focusing on long exhales through the mouth. Or, gently pause and choose a different meditation from the Rituals (https://rootshock.substack.com/s/rituals) archive instead. There’s no wrong way to care for yourself here. If you’re loving this content, share it with a friend! This helps buoy me to keep producing more material like it. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

4. 

   10 Sept 2026

   08: A Dent in the Shield — Native American Drumming, Addiction Recovery, and the Medicine Wheel with Dr. Daniel Dickerson

   Traditionally, Native American people were very healthy. You know, we grew our own food, we hunted our own animals. We were engaged in spiritual practices and cultural practices that were all taught by our elders for us to use and to live healthy, healthy lives. So with historical-based traumas that created a dent in our shield, so to speak. So with cultural-based interventions, we believe there's an opportunity to restore the balance that we've lost through kind of healing through traditional practices and treatment. And if we could do that in a In a good and appropriate way, we feel that there's potential. -Dr. Daniel L. Dickerson, DO, MPH Episode Summary Earlier this summer, we sat with West African drumming traditions. This episode, we go deeper into drumming as sacred technology — this time from an Iñupiaq perspective, with Dr. Daniel Dickerson, addiction psychiatrist and Associate Research Psychiatrist at UCLA’s Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs. Dr. Dickerson is the creator and principal investigator of DARTNA (Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans), the first federally funded study of its kind, and he joins us to trace a direct line from colonial suppression of Native spiritual practice to the substance use crises we see in Native communities today — and back out again, toward what healing through cultural reconnection can actually look like in a clinical trial. (Content note: this episode briefly touches on addiction, substance use, and historical and intergenerational trauma. Take care of yourself as you listen.) Key Themes & Takeaways * The Forbidden Drum: Native American drumming was suppressed under settler colonialism — European colonists viewed Indigenous spiritual practice as illegitimate, severing communities from a core technology of identity, healing, and ancestral connection. * A Dent in the Shield: Colonial contact disrupted protective cultural and spiritual practices, rendering Native populations more vulnerable to secondary diseases. Alcohol and commercialized tobacco were introduced into populations with no prior cultural relationship to either, and that sudden shock is still reverberating intergenerationally today. * Traditional Tobacco vs. Commercialized Cigarettes: A distinction worth sitting with — traditional tobacco was used sparingly and ceremonially, for the purpose of healing. What colonizers observed, then repackaged and mass-marketed, became something else entirely. Sound familiar? (I’m looking at you, tech bros with your ‘psychedelic renaissance.’) * DARTNA and the Medicine Wheel: Dr. Dickerson walks us through how DARTNA integrates the four dimensions of the Native American medicine wheel — physical, emotional, mental, spiritual — into a real, federally funded randomized controlled trial. The results: participants showed significantly better cognition, fewer physical ailments, and lower drinking and cannabis use at the end of treatment. * What Fades, and Why: The benefits dropped off three months post-treatment — not because the intervention failed, but because ongoing access to community and drummers is what sustains healing. * What’s Actually Happening in the Brain: Drumming has been shown to enhance healthy brainwave activity similar to meditative states, and to improve synchronization between the limbic system (mood/emotion) and the frontal lobe (decision-making) — a neurological bridge between how we feel and how we choose. * Isolation as the Real Disease: Substance use is, at its root, a disease of isolation. Drumming pulls people out of individual isolation and into witnessed, communal practice — connection as medicine, not metaphor. Resources & References Research on DARTNA * DARTNA: Results from a Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial (PubMed) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33966952/) * NIAAA Overview: Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans (https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/native-air/treatment-alcohol-use-disorder/drum-assisted-recovery-therapy-native-americans-dartna) * DARTNA Clinical Trial Record (ClinicalTrials.gov) (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03164577) * DARTNA: Results from a Pretest and Focus Groups (PubMed) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24788920/) NIH Institutional Context * N CREW Program: Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (https://www.nih.gov/heal/research/population/ncrew) * Building Equitable Native American Research Partnerships: N CREW (NIH HEAL) (https://heal.nih.gov/director/n-crew-program) The Neuroscience of Drumming * Brainwave Entrainment & Music Therapy: A Digital Therapeutics Review (Frontiers) (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1552396/full) * Inner Sense of Rhythm: Percussionist Brain Activity (PMC) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10899486/) Guest Spotlight: Dr. Daniel Dickerson Dr. Daniel Dickerson is an addiction psychiatrist and Associate Research Psychiatrist at UCLA’s Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs. He holds a D.O. and an M.P.H., and is double board-certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. He is Iñupiaq, an Alaska Native tribe, on his mother’s side, and Caucasian on his father’s side, and he grew up in Long Beach, in Los Angeles County. His research centers on substance use treatment and prevention for American Indian and Alaska Native youth and adults, with a focus on culturally grounded interventions. He is the creator and principal investigator of DARTNA — Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans — supported by NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment below — I’d love to hear how you’re finding connection back to your own lineage and traditions. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

5. 

   19 Aug 2026

   RITUAL: Co-Regulation Breath With The Trees

   Each breath is a collaboration. Each breath is in reciprocity with other living beings. This month, Root Shock tackled a solosode explaining the biological and physiological mechanisms by which our breath is linked to the breath of the trees. In today’s ritual, grab a blanket (or settle into some plush summer grass), gaze lovingly up at your favorite tree friend, and enjoy a little respite of breath and attunement. I hope you dig it! If you’re loving this content, share it with a friend! This helps buoy me to keep producing more material like it. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

6. 

   5 Aug 2026

   07: Every Breath Is A Collaboration

   Episode Summary Hello from the cloud forests of Central America! I’ve swapped the muggy soup-weather of Washington, DC for the misty clouds and drumming rains of Costa Rica this summer. My toes have never been muddier! It has been an immense blessing and privilege to split my time between the States and CR for the past year, and soak up some well-deserved peace. You might notice, dear listener, that my voice sounds a lot more *calm* and perhaps a little annoyingly-zen in this episode. And that’s because I’m feeling more regulated than I have in months. I’ve replaced city sirens with howler monkeys, and it is truly amazing what a little audio-detox will do for your brain. During this season of reflection, I have been learning a lot from the wind, rains, rivers, and trees themselves. These lessons feel ineffable, but I am doing my best to convert the learnings to words as best I can. And here, you have the first of many earthy musings from the Central Valley. In this solo episode, I’m unpacking a phrase I lean on constantly in my teaching: every breath is a collaboration. I take you on a little biology field trip, from taproot to alveoli. Picture a tree pulling water up through its trunk, breathing out oxygen through the tiny pores in its leaves. Now picture your own lungs doing the mirror image move: air travels down your trachea (basically your own personal tree trunk), branches through your bronchial tree, and lands in roughly two million alveoli where the real magic, gas exchange, happens. My point, felt right down at the cellular level: breathing solo isn’t a thing. Every inhale is a handoff between you, the trees, and the whole living world around you. Then I get into water, the same water that’s been cycling through this planet since time immemorial, moving between bodies, sky, and soil, with my own lungs working overtime (hello, Starling forces and aquaporins) to keep it all in balance. I also bring in Dr. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s Theory of Water, which does a beautiful job marrying the poetry and revolutionary lessons Nibi provides. When your nervous system practice is rooted in “I’m not separate from any of this,” it stops being just a personal wellness/self-care tool. It becomes a way to notice imbalance—in your body, your relationships, and the world around you, and to respond to all three with a little more care. Themes Covered * The biology of breath: from tree stomata to human alveoli * Breath as an exchange, not an individual act * Water as a continuously circulating, ancient element — with a nod to Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s Theory of Water * How the body regulates fluid balance in the lungs * Loneliness, individualism, and community as a nervous-system need * Co-regulation: syncing breath and nervous system with others * Somatic practice as a bridge to environmental awareness and reciprocity Works Cited and Fun Other Resources: Simpson, L. B. (2026). Theory of water: Nishnaabeg maps to the times ahead. Random House. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-66683-4_3 Coming Up * This month’s Root Shock ritual: a co-regulation practice — breathing with the trees. (Drops in two weeks) * A collab with Dr. Linh Le of the Return to Yin podcast on trauma-informed care and what it means to decolonize our healing praxis * The neuroscience of drumming (booyah!) Did this episode spark a query, emotion, or hot take? Let me know by leaving a comment below! And hit “subscribe” if you want to see more material like this. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

7. 

   29 Jul 2026

   RITUAL: Breath of Reciprocity — 10-Minute Earth-Based Dirga Pranayama

   Each breath we take is an act of reciprocity, receiving, and return. We breathe with the trees, and they with us. Each Root Shock: Rituals installment is designed to accompany the core Root Shock podcast, building somatic awareness alongside intellectual theory and discussion. This summer, I’ve stepped away from the bustling DC summer swamp and taken refuge in the misty cloud forests of Central America. And because I miss my yoga students dearly, I’ve made a BONUS episode just for you! In this meditation, we practice Dirga Pranayama (Three Part Breath)—a beginner-accessible breathwork technique intended to increase lung capacity and build familiarity with the sensation of a full-diaphragmatic breath. This technique is highly effective for anchoring your mind, increasing lung capacity, and transitioning your body out of "fight-or-flight" mode. This technique is beginner-friendly, yet is also beneficial for more seasoned practitioners. This foundational technique is gentle and accessible for most people. Yet as with all breathing techniques, contraindications are important to consider. Do not practice this breath if you have had a recent chest/abdominal surgery, have an unregulated heart condition, or if you experience dizziness during the practice. This meditation also contains a short breath retention. Do not practice breath holds if you are pregnant, or have another contraindicated condition. If you enjoy this meditation, please leave me a comment. And don’t forget to hit Subscribe so you can get more juicy content straight to your email, or take a look at the latest Root Shock core episodes to learn more. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

8. 

   15 Jul 2026

   RITUAL: 10-Minute Water Blessing — Mindful Drinking Meditation

   Practice conscious hydration with this guided 10-minute water meditation. Learn a simple water blessing ritual to cultivate gratitude and deep presence. To accompany this month’s Root Shock Podcast episode on Water, our Root Shock: Rituals practice is one of attunement to the water cycle, and our place within it. We practice mindful drinking; we practice gratitude for the water and all the ways it facilitates life within our bodies. We bless the water, just as humans across cultures have blessed the water for generations. If you enjoy this meditation, leave me a comment. And don’t forget to hit Subscribe so you can get more juicy content straight to your email, or take a look at the latest Root Shock core episodes to learn more about the life-giving importance of our waterways. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

9. 

   1 Jul 2026

   06: The Healing Power of West African Drumming – Trauma, Community, and Connection

   “ Colonial legacy would have us believe that somehow traditional rituals and indigenous healing practices are not effective simply because they have not been scientifically proven by a white man or a white woman. Let us not continue in this colonial white supremacy ideology that some rituals and traditions that people have engaged in for thousands of years are not effective.” -Francis Agyakwa Episode Summary Social scientist and trauma-informed specialist Francis Agyakwa joins Root Shock to explore the transformative power of West African drumming, drawing from his experience as a first-generation Ghanaian immigrant and his frontline work in community healing. We move beyond mainstream Western co-opting of drum technologies, which often strip drumming of its cultural soul—to ask: How can we better understand and practice these ancestral, somatic technologies? Francis shares how our brains and minds expand through these rhythms, suggesting that true healing isn’t just an individual clinical outcome, but a byproduct of community connection and reciprocal relationship with the Earth. Key Themes & Takeaways * Healing as Heritage: While drumming is a universal human experience, it is Indigenous, Black American, and African Diasporic communities who have championed and preserved this technology through generations of resilience. * The Law of Reciprocity: Drumming is an act of giving back. It serves as a call to Mother Earth and to the ancestors, acknowledging the wood, the animal skin, the drum-maker, and the tradition-holders who made the experience possible. * Somatic Trauma Processing: Beyond the hype, drumming offers a concrete modality for processing trauma and lowering physiological stress responses. * The Complexity of Polyrhythms: We dismantle the reductionist view that drumming is just “banging on a drum.” We discuss how polyrhythms require a cognitive and cultural depth that fosters genuine, lasting resilience. * The Collective Effect: Healing is more powerful in community. We explore why playing in a group creates a “completely different type of relationship” between people, bridging gaps even when we do not share a common language. “When you play that drum, you are calling the blood of the animal that has gone back to Mother Earth. You are calling Mother Earth, who gave us the tree, the wood for the base of the drum. When we play the drum, we are not just playing it, but we are giving back our tears. We’ve given our toils, we are giving all of the stresses of this life, and we are giving thanks back to Mother Earth for taking all those burdens away from us—based on the gift that she has given us.” —Francis Agyakwa Resources & References Clinical & Societal Context * Gallup: U.S. Depression Rates (https://news.gallup.com/poll/694199/u.s.-depression-rate-remains-historically-high.aspx) * Gallup: Loneliness Trends (https://news.gallup.com/poll/473057/loneliness-subsides-pandemic-high.aspx) * HHS Surgeon General Advisory: Our Epidemic of Loneliness (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf) * Mad in America: Call for Pluralistic Psychiatric Interventions (https://www.madinamerica.com/2026/05/beyond-western-psychiatry-rethinking-global-mental-health/) Research & Literature * Trauma Healing Club: Culturally Responsive After-School Intervention (https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00387-5) * The Role of Drumming in Stress Reduction (PubMed) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24983262/) * Group Drumming and Mental Health (PubMed) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28003957/) * PNAS: The Neuroscience of Social Bonding (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2106244119) * Recommended Reading: Mamady Keïta, A Life of The Djembe Cultural & Historical Links * Step Afrika! Drumfolk (https://iaamuseum.org/event/step-afrika-drumfolk/) * Oxford American: Talking Drums (https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-107/talking-drums) * Road Scholar: The Talking Drum and Slave Revolts (https://www.roadscholar.org/blog/talking-drum-and-slave-revolts/) * Southern Ute Tribe History (https://www.southernute-nsn.gov/history/) Guest Spotlight: Francis Agyakwa Francis Agyakwa is a first-generation Ghanaian immigrant, a TEDx speaker, and a dedicated advocate for community health. Since arriving in the U.S. from Ghana in 2003, Francis has worked on the frontlines of community healing as a certified Compassion Fatigue Trainer and Trauma-Informed Specialist. Formerly an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, he now leads initiatives at the Colorado Department of Human Services. His work lies at the intersection of ethnomusicology and somatic healing. Through his program, “Drumming Out Stress,” Francis challenges Western, reductionist views on health, demonstrating how polyrhythms foster the resilience, creativity, and connection our communities need to heal from systemic trauma. * Connect with Francis: wosom-wosom.org (https://www.wosom-wosom.org/company) * Watch Francis’ TEDx Talk: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyH0joQf7_A) A Note on the History of the Djembe: “The Malinke women have done a lot for the development of the rhythms... women ‘invented’ the rhythms with their singing, clapping and dancing... I have observed that people, wherever they are, open themselves through contact with African music. In a very short time, it creates an atmosphere of warmth, a closeness, and a completely different type of relationship between people.” — Mamady Keïta If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment below—I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can better integrate ancestral healing practices into our modern lives. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    17 Jun 2026

    RITUAL: 10-Minute Mindfulness Meditation — River of Thoughts

    Let the river teach you mindful perspective with the latest Root Shock Ritual. This 10-minute mindfulness meditation guides you through a relaxing river of thoughts visualization, learning from the water in all that we do. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    3 Jun 2026

    05: Indigenous Sovereignty & Environmental Justice — The Waterways Are Life with Jessica Swann

    “What is health? Are you living? Are you able to have breath in your lungs? Are you able to touch the water? Are you able to feel the grass? Are you able to be sustainable?” – Jessica Swann “Our people lived as stewards of the land and protectors of the water for hundreds of years, and they did that through good health and a good relationship and respect to the land and respect for the water... throughout time we've lost the importance of our connection to the earth, to our waterways. The waterways are life.” — Jessica Swann Hey y'all, welcome back. What began as a citizen science project amidst a catastrophic sewage spill in the Potomac river has become a multi-episode arc investigating waterways, river personhood, and the economies of “healthy” water. This is just the first of many conversations and intellectual deep-dives into water as relative, water as teacher, water as life-giving resource. In this conversation, I’m joined by Jessica Swann, a member of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, Sacred Pipe Holder of the Beaver Clan, the daughter of Chief Jesse James Swann Jr. and a direct descendant of Chief (Tayac) Wannas who first met colonists on the shores of Maryland nearly 400 years ago. Just like a ride down the river, our dialogue wanders, tumbles, floats, and eddies. We begin our journey at the banks of the Potowomack (Potomac) River, but the current rapidly carries us downstream through the critical intersections of food sovereignty, Indigenous data sovereignty, and the power of oral histories. Main Topics Include: -Water as a relative -The importance of oral histories -Food sovereignty -Data sovereignty within health research -Environmental considerations of AI -What is ‘health” for the Piscataway people? As you’ll hear, water connects us all. It flows between ideas, binds communities together, and forms the active matrix within our very cells. It bridges our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual beings. It’s time to move past the myopic illusion of individual “health” consumerism. You cannot buy your way out of a collective environmental crisis with a fancier water filter. True health is a shared ecosystem, and reclaiming that connection means shifting away from corporate self-preservation toward a fierce, active stance for the collective waterway. Join us for a float as we learn how to listen to the water again. If this conversation resonates with you, please consider subscribing to the ROOT SHOCK Substack, sharing this episode with a friend, and directly supporting Jessica’s vital community preservation work by donating to Through Piscataway Eyes (http://throughpiscatawayeyes.org/donate.html). People, Resources, and Cited Works Featured Organizations & Initiatives Through Piscataway Eyes™ A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting and protecting the welfare, culture, and history of the members of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe™. Piscataway Land Trust: A vital division of this nonprofit focused on securing funds to purchase, reclaim, and restore ancestral tribal lands. Support Their Work: You can make a direct contribution via the Through Piscataway Eyes Donation Page (http://throughpiscatawayeyes.org/donate.html). Potomac Conservancy An organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Potomac River basin's water quality, land, and wildlife. Learn more at the Potomac Conservancy Official Website (https://potomac.org/). Literature & Media Theory of Water – Leanne Betasamosake Simpson Explore Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead. Available for purchase on Bookshop.org (http://Bookshop.org). A Map to the Door of No Return – Dionne Brand A poignant exploration of diaspora, memory, and belonging. Available at Rep. Club (https://rep.club/products/map-door-no-return). All My Relations Podcast Listen to the deep dive on the Theory of Water Episode (https://www.allmyrelationspodcast.com/podcast/theory-of-water). White Supremacy Culture Characteristics – Tema Okun (Dedicated to Kenneth Jones) Review the foundational work on systemic characteristics at the White Supremacy Culture Hub (https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/characteristics.html) or read the Full PDF Document (https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture.pdf). Indigenous Health & Environment Articles – Dr. Nicole Redvers Read her work combining planetary health and Indigenous medical traditions at the Nicole Redvers Article Archive (https://www.nicoleredvers.com/articles). Race and Environment on the Anacostia Examine the intersection of systemic racism and urban ecology through this interactive ArcGIS StoryMap on the Anacostia River (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a36e8fd03b8447b9a596b93338b1ea2b). Academic & Scientific Citations Ball, P. (2017). Water is an active matrix of life for cell and molecular biology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 114(51), 13327-13335. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703781114 (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703781114) Greenberg, N. (2023, October). A dive into dolphin data: The history of bottlenose dolphins in the Potomac River. Smithsonian Ocean. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/dive-dolphin-data-history-bottlenose-dolphins-potomac-river (https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/marine-mammals/dive-dolphin-data-history-bottlenose-dolphins-potomac-river) Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions. Shimamoto, H., & Komiya, S. (2000). The turnover of body water as an indicator of health. Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science, 19(5), 207–212. https://doi.org/10.2114/jpa.19.207 (https://doi.org/10.2114/jpa.19.207) Deep Dive: News, History, and Environmental Justice 🚨 Current News Briefing: The Potomac Sewage Crisis Following a severe infrastructure breakdown on January 19, 2026, a major pipe collapse triggered one of the largest recorded sewage spills in United States history. An estimated 200 to 300 million gallons of raw sewage flooded into the Potomac River, causing local E. coli concentrations to skyrocket to over 10,000 times safe recreational standards. While seasonal flow reduced surface levels in some sectors by early March, ongoing structural leaks continue to feed hazardous concentrations of E. coli, staph bacteria, and MRSA into the waterway. Local community members and visitors are urged to practice extreme caution and avoid direct water contact. Timeline of the River: Ancestral Hub, Sacrifice Zone, and Site of Freedom 14,000 Years Ago – Pre-Colonial Foundations Human settlements emerge along the river basin. The oldest known permanent settlement, the village of Potowomack, gives the river its modern name—though various regional tribes held their own distinct names for its different winding sections. The region is anchored by three prominent Indigenous chiefdoms: the Piscataway, the Patawomeke, and the Nanticoke. 1607 – The Early Colonial Era The first European colonizers arrive. Despite receiving life-saving food provisions from the Powhatan people during their initial struggle for survival, the settlers systematically fail to honor peace agreements, initiating centuries of displacement. Mid-1800s – Environmental Devastation via Plantation Economies As colonizers clear vast swaths of forest to establish intensive tobacco plantations, the severe lack of root systems causes massive soil erosion. The resulting agricultural runoff completely chokes the bottom of the Anacostia River, rendering it entirely impassable to boats by the mid-19th century. 1830s–1860s – The Underground Railroad and Ecologies of Freedom The Potomac River emerges as a critical symbol and literal highway of liberation. Its dense shoreline foliage provides vital camouflage for freedom seekers, its steep banks serve as strategic lookouts, and its shallow rapids offer rare crossing points. The waterway serves as a physical conduit out of the slaveholding states of Virginia and Maryland into free Pennsylvania. Furthermore, the surrounding wetlands provide an abundance of medicinal plants utilized for healing by Indigenous and Black communities alike. Late 1800s – Wildlife Baselines The first formal scientific and historical sightings of bottlenose dolphins are recorded within the Potomac River, proving the long-term presence of marine mammals deep within the estuary. Mid-1900s – "White Flight" and the Creation of a Sacrifice Zone The river basin experiences heavy industrial pollution and untreated sewage dumping. Concurrently, demographic shifts and "white flight" leave the surrounding riverbanks populated predominantly by Black neighborhoods. This environmental racism alters the city’s relationship with the river: its proximity to marginalized communities shifts public policy from simple neglect to treating the area as an "active sacrifice zone" for environmentally hazardous municipal projects and systemic dumping. The Dual Reality of the River Despite severe pollution, the river remains a complicated sanctuary of resilience and joy for Black residents enduring segregation. Because public swimming pools are racially segregated, the river offers a free, unpoliced space to swim, connect with nature, and fish for food away from the immediate pressures of racist urban spaces—even as mounting toxicity eventually renders the fish unsafe to consume. 1965 – Federal Recognition of Crisis President Lyndon B. Johnson publicly declares the state of the Potomac River a "national disgrace," fueling the momentum for federal environmental intervention. 1970 – The Dead Zone The connected Chesapeake Bay is officially labeled one of the United States' very first marine "dead zones" due to severe oxygen depletion caused by chemical and nutrient pollution. 1972 – The Clean Water Act The passage of the historic Clean Water Act introduces strict federal standards for industrial discharge and municipal sewage, kicking off decades of gradual water quality improvements. 2015–Present – The Return of the Dolphins A highly visible and sustained increase in bottlenose dolphin sightings is documented throughout the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. While researchers are still evaluating whether this trend reflects a true population boom or simply enhanced ecological monitoring, it serves as a powerful reminder of the river's enduring capacity for renewal. Jessica Swann Community Outreach Coordinator, Through Piscataway Eyes (TPE) Inc. Jessica Swann is a registered citizen of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and a member of the Beaver Clan, where she is designated Sacred Pipe Holder. She is the daughter of Chief Jesse James Swann Jr. and a direct descendant of Chief (Tayac) Wannas who first met colonists on the shores of Maryland. Driven by a dedication to her people, Jessica acts as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Through Piscataway Eyes (TPE) Inc., a tribally designated non-profit centered on community investments, direct mutual aid, and heritage preservation. Furthermore, she is a council candidate for the tribe’s restored government, where she champions economic development, cultural renewal, and tribal sovereignty. Rooted in a childhood of hunting, fishing, and foraging with her family, Jessica leverages her passion for gastronomy to blend Indigenous traditions with modern culinary practices, aiming to channel this expertise into economic growth, education, and cultural visibility for the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

12. 

    19 May 2026

    RITUAL: 10-Minute Sensory Meditation — The Sound of Your Breath

    Welcome to this 10-minute guided meditation focusing on sensory awareness, sound, and mindful breathing. In this Root Shock: Rituals inaugural session, we practice deep listening to explore how your breath interacts with and contributes to the auditory ecosystem around you. ------ She’s using her YogaVoice, people! How do I keep from collapsing under the weight of emergent authoritarianism? Well cuties, I breathe really, really, really deep. I rely on my mind-body practices to support me through difficult times and metabolize challenging discourse, and so I want to share them with you. This offering is intended to be a companion to the Root Shock core podcast. This is a landing space for turning theory into praxis—the laboratory where we do the body-based work to return to self, which is inherently a return to the Earth. In this inaugural installment of Root Shock: Rituals, we take a 10-minute journey through the auditory soundscape. This is an invitation to slow down, to listen, and to recognize the sound of your breath as an essential contributor of your ecosystem. You are breathing, just as the river is babbling. You are breathing, just as the bus is sighing at its stop. You are breathing, just as the birds are squabbling over a muffin crumb. In slowing down to recognize our contributions, we can remember our embedded place within the whole. If you’re digging this meditation, leave me a little comment so I know you’re out there. And don’t forget to hit Subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/) so you can get more juicy content straight to your email! XOXO- HT Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

13. 

    7 May 2026

    04: Climate Anxiety & Resilience: Navigating Climate Justice with Dr. Jen Myers

    Welcome back, everyone! Thanks for waiting as we gathered up our mics and agonized over the editing software. While Matt is visiting his old stomping grounds in China, I (Hannah) am producing this show all on my lonesome. That’s why you’ve experienced a woeful gap during April. But now, fret not! We’re bringing you belated Earth Day content with a whole episode on ~Climate Anxiety~, tools for resilience, and vulnerable conversations on growing as activists. This conversation covers: * What is climate anxiety? * The “Window of Tolerance” that balances our nervous system * How to cultivate resilience * Stories of climate resilience in Puerto Rico * Identifying racial inequities in climate justice * Tools for working through climate anxiety and climate grief I hope you enjoy it! Like, SUBCRIBE to the Substack, and leave some lil’ comments to let me know what you think and what you’d like to see more of. Saddle up, because this summer we’ve got a bunch of excellent content lined up. We’re bringing you everything from welcoming back the river dolphins to the healing power of drum circles right here on Root Shock. Thanks for listening! -Hannah Resources Climate Mental Health Network Toolkit: https://www.climatementalhealth.net/climate-emotions-toolkit (https://www.climatementalhealth.net/climate-emotions-toolkit) Environmental Amnesia: https://rebeccalexa.com/environmental-generational-amnesia/ (https://rebeccalexa.com/environmental-generational-amnesia/) Cited Works Viques, PR (higher cancer rates): https://fxb.harvard.edu/blog/calendar_event/the-environmental-legacy-of-war-human-environmental-health-consequences-on-vieques-puerto-rico/ (https://fxb.harvard.edu/blog/calendar_event/the-environmental-legacy-of-war-human-environmental-health-consequences-on-vieques-puerto-rico/) https://theeternalsong.org/the-films/ (https://theeternalsong.org/the-films/) People Bayo Akomolafe: https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/ Janelle Baker: https://www.athabascau.ca/humanities-and-social-sciences/our-people/janelle-baker.html (https://www.athabascau.ca/humanities-and-social-sciences/our-people/janelle-baker.html) Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove: https://www.mindyfullilove.com/root-shock (https://www.mindyfullilove.com/root-shock) Dr. Arturo Ornelas: https://www.jstor.org/content/pdf/oa_chapter_monograph/j.ctt13x0pzq.11 (https://www.jstor.org/content/pdf/oa_chapter_monograph/j.ctt13x0pzq.11) Guest Dr. Jen Myers earned her PhD in Sustainability Education from Prescott College, with a focus on environmental psychology. Her doctoral fieldwork in Puerto Rico explored place-based identity and resilience, examining how communities navigate and adapt to climate change. She is a sustainability educator who lives and works at the EcoVillage in Ithaca, New York, where she serves as Project Director at the Center for Transformative Action, part of the Thrive Ithaca EcoVillage Education Center. In addition to her work in Ithaca, Dr. Myers collaborates with the Global Ecovillage Network on climate resilience initiatives—developing climate action plans for ecovillages and facilitating workshops on climate anxiety, with a focus on how communities can support one another and cultivate resilience in the face of ecological polycrisis. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

14. 

    12 Mar 2026

    03: Dopamine Regulation as Resistance - How Algorithms Hijack Your Brain

    Your attention is your true wealth. In a world engineered to extract it, choosing where it goes is an act of resistance. This episode is a deep dive into dopamine, phone addiction, and the attention economy. We break down what dopamine is, what it does in the brain, and how your brain’s motivation-reward system is being exploited. You will also get five practical tools for breaking the dopamine addiction cycle, reducing compulsive phone use, and retraining your brain toward effort, presence, and real satisfaction. Your doom scrolling feeds the corporate overlords—your awareness feeds you :) Share, Please! If this episode shifted something for you, send it to a friend, subscribe to the show, or leave a review. This episode was produced by Matthew Kendrick. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

15. 

    12 Jan 2026

    02: Depression in Japan + Transcultural Psychiatry (Part 2) - with Dr. Hiroe Hu

    “Historically, mindfulness is embedded in an understanding of collective belonging and interconnectedness, not just as a tool for self-regulating stress. What often gets left out in Western versions are the broader ethical and communal dimensions of contemplative practices.” -Dr. Hiroe Hu In Part 2 of our deep dive into transcultural psychiatry, we’re joined by Dr. Hiroe Hu. Hiroe is a practicing psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Born in Japan, she studied Contemplative Psychology at Brown University before completing her medical residency at Georgetown MedStar Hospital in Washington, DC. In this episode, we deepen our understanding of explanatory models of disease. We explore what happens when mindfulness is exported from the East into Western cultures and frameworks and, even more interestingly, what happens when those practices are then “reverse imported” back to the East in a Westernized package. And of course, we talk about all of these mental health and meditative traditions in the context of capitalism. We talk about power: how capital drives medical research and how translating culturally bound practices into the clinical trial structure changes their texture. We talk about tech-bro meditation competitions and what we’d each say to Mr. Elon Musk if we could get a trillionaire on the therapy couch. (Babe, what are you so afraid of?) Finally, we’re visioning our ideal, pluralistic healthcare futures, where a socially conscious psychology is the norm and everybody gets to heal holistically. Share, Please! If this made you pause or rethink something, subscribe to the show, share it with a curious friend, or leave a cute little comment. This episode was produced by Matthew Kendrick. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

16. 

    17 Dec 2025

    01: Depression in Japan (Part 1) - How Big Pharma Changed Mental Health

    In the early 2000s, pharmaceutical companies looked to Japan with yearning dollar-bills in their eyes. They had a hot new antidepressant just off the assembly line: Paxil. But the Japanese people weren’t into Paxil like that. In fact, they thought the American idea of depression was kind of bizarre. Nobody wanted to buy the company’s drug :( With no market, and an expensive product—what’s a corp to do? Invent a market, of course! This is the story of how a company invented a disease to sell the cure, shifting Japan’s mental health landscape in the process. In this first episode of Root Shock, we explore how antidepressants were positioned as the answer to distress in a cultural context where sadness had long been understood through social, moral, and relational frameworks rather than biomedical ones. This is not an argument against mental health care or medication. It is an inquiry into how economic incentives shape which forms of suffering become visible, legible, and treatable. Drawing on anthropology and political economy, we zoom out to ask larger questions about mental health in the context of capitalism. What happens when the authority to define illness is closely tied to markets designed to sell solutions? Key Takeaways * Sadness became pathologized in order to make its treatment marketable. * Mental health categories are shaped by culture, language, and economic forces. * Pharmaceutical power influences not only medicine, but how societies interpret suffering. Sources Watters, E. (2010). Crazy like us: The globalization of the American psyche. Free Press. Kitanaka, J. (2012). Depression in Japan: Psychiatric cures for a society in distress. Princeton University Press. Share & Subscribe If this made you pause or rethink something, subscribe to the show, share it with a curious friend, or leave a little comment. Perfection is the enemy of done, my friends. So here we are. Get full access to Root Shock at rootshock.substack.com/subscribe (https://rootshock.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

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