Rae Johnson, PhD, RSW, RSMT, BCC is a social worker, somatic movement therapist, and scholar/activist working at the intersections of embodiment and social justice. Rae’s approach to their work has been shaped by decades of frontline engagement with street youth, women in addiction recovery, psychiatric survivors, and members of the queer community. Since completing their doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, Rae has held academic positions in several somatic psychology programs, including at Naropa University and Pacifica Graduate Institute. They currently teach somatic psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and co-direct an online certificate program in embodied social justice.

Rae’s research on the everyday embodied experiences of oppression has been articulated in numerous publications, including their books Embodied Social Justice and Embodied Activism. Committed to making their research both accessible and impactful, Rae also designs and produces collaborative community performances that engage non-academic audiences in the issues that affect members of marginalized communities. Anchored in a form of embodied narrative ethnography called ‘body stories’, these performances are designed to elicit a visceral (not just intellectual) response to the material.