Prentis Hemphill | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | Mount Holyoke College Antioch University Los Angeles |
| Occupations | Writer; therapist; somatic teacher |
| Notable work | What It Takes to Heal |
| Website | prentishemphill |
Prentis Hemphill is an American writer, therapist, and somatic facilitator whose work focuses on embodiment, trauma healing, and social justice. [1] They are the founder and director of The Embodiment Institute (TEI), a training and research organisation that applies somatic practices to individual, organisational, and collective care through healing justice framework. [2] [3]
They are also the founder of the Black Embodiment Initiative, and the host of Finding Our Way Podcast. [4] They are also healing justice community organiser alongside Erica Woodland, Adaku Utah, and Cara Page. [3] [5] Hemphill is the author of What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World, a book focused on redefining healing as a non-linear, collective, and embodied practice. [6]
Hemphill is a long time community organiser whose work is rooted in somatic practice, collective care and healing justice organising. [7] [4] They have taught and practiced politicised and generative somatic work with organisations such as Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity (BOLD). [7] Hemphill obtained B.A in History at Mount Holyoke College in 2004 and M.A in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University Los Angeles in 2013. [8]
Hemphill’s career centres on the application of somatic and embodiment-based approaches within social justice, feminist and LGBTQIA community organising. [7] [9] Their work examines how trauma, power, and social conditioning are expressed through the body and how embodied awareness can support resilience, accountability, and relational repair. [7] [4] [10]
Before founding The Embodiment Institute (TEI), they had previously served as Healing Justice Director at the Black Lives Matter Global Network, contributing to the integration of healing justice frameworks within movement organising. [7]
Hemphill founded TEI to offer training programmes and public education on embodiment, healing justice, and liberational leadership. TEI also hosts the Black Embodiment Initiative, which focuses on somatic practices grounded in Black cultural and political traditions. [9] [10] Hemphill also hosts the podcasts Finding Our Way, which explore embodiment, relational practice, and healing justice through interviews and guided reflections. [9]
In 2021, Hemphill contributed a chapter titled The Wisdom of Process in You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience anthology edited by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown. [9] [11] They were also named a Roddenberry Fellow in recognition of their work in embodied healing in 2023. [9]
In 2024, they published What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World with Random House to unpack healing as an ongoing practice that involves the body, nervous system, relationships, and broader social conditions disrupted by systemic injustices, violence and oppressions. [12] [13]
In a scholarly review published in Sage Journal of Black Psychology, Lakiba Pittman frames What It Takes to Heal as both a personal and collective process rooted in resistance to systemic oppression.nPittman notes that Hemphill weaves personal narrative, somatic therapy, psychospiritual practice, and cultural analysis to present healing as a lifelong journey toward liberation. Pittman highlights the book’s accessibility, clarity, and use of personal storytelling, while also suggesting that future work could engage more deeply with empirical research and non-Western healing traditions. [14]
The Ebony article also highlights that Hemphill’s book explores healing not merely as self-care but as connected to bodily experience, relational dynamics, and structural contexts, particularly in how individuals respond to conflict and navigate stress in relationships and community. [15]
A review in Friends Journal by Lauren Brownlee further notes What It Takes to Heal alongside Loving Corrections by Adrienne Maree Brown, as books that offer guidance on personal transformation and social change. Brownlee notes that Hemphill’s work connects personal transformation with social transformation and offers methods for practicing skills related to connection and trust across contexts. [16]