Embodied Mistrust and Somatic Memory

Dipa Ma taught that the body holds wisdom and fear in equal measure. In healthcare systems marked by structural racism, marginalized patients carry somatic memories of medical exploitation—from the Tuskegee experiments to contemporary dismissal of pain. This embodied mistrust manifests as tension, avoidance of medical care, and physiological stress responses during clinical encounters. Understanding healthcare inequity requires recognizing that resistance to treatment is not non-compliance but rational embodied knowledge. Dipa Ma's emphasis on the body as a teaching ground illuminates how we must address not just policy but the deep somatic healing needed to rebuild trust. Practitioners can create safer medical spaces by acknowledging this embodied history and offering practices that help patients regulate their nervous systems while engaging with healthcare.