How To Process Racial Trauma
I ignored Ahmaud Arbery’s murder when it was announced in February. Shortly thereafter, a well-known social justice organizer called the African American community and associated allies to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. I refused the invitation and told myself, “nothing is going to happen, nothing ever happens” and continued with my day. I was not proud of my behavior.
In early May, the story of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder reached national headlines and was trending on every social media outlet (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). I continued to ignore it. To clarify, I read posts, articles, and comments; but I refused to join my peers in posting commentary, articles, or a tribute picture for his passing. Furthermore, I refused to watch the video of his murder. Shortly thereafter, a tribute campaign, #runformaud, appeared in which people would run 2.23 miles in remembrance of Ahmaud Arbery’s birthday and his love of running and fitness. I declined to participate, but thought it was a kind gesture of remembrance. A few of my loved ones inquired about my refusal to which I replied, “why? It doesn’t change anything. We don’t need protests or acts of remembrance, we need to change the laws and policing policies.”
Generally, I consider myself an optimistic person full of hope and excitement. Furthermore, the integration of my personality traits with my education and background in psychology, I am aware of techniques to support effective coping. However, in those moments, I appeared hardened and pessimistic.
How did I get here?
Trayvon Martin. When I remember Trayvon Martin, I think of my younger brother. I remember his frustrations from police harassment when he would visit our father in an affluent neighborhood or other neighborhoods in Houston, TX. I remember the chilling phone call that awakened me out of sleep at 3am. My brother was in tears from frustration at his latest race-related stop, “I do everything right, why won’t they leave me alone.” I will never forget the sickness I felt as my heart broke into a million pieces. I am my brother’s keeper, but in that moment, I knew I could never protect my little brother.
When Trayvon Martin’s murder reached national headlines, I completely envisioned the possibility that he could have been my brother. I was devasted for the loss of Trayvon’s precious life at a young age, and the pain his family felt. I donated to the Martin family, protested in the streets, wrote letters/emails to state representatives and Department of Justice, participated in online and in-person information sessions and debates. You name it, I did it. When the trial started, I watched every day in anticipation of justice.
There are no words to describe my feelings when the acquittal was announced. My life changed forever leaving my emotional and mental well-being severely compromised. I was frequently triggered by daily news of social injustice and experienced daily feelings of helplessness regarding being Black in America. I worried about my male loved ones every day and made unrealistic vows to protect them. How could I respond so strongly to situations I experienced indirectly?
Racial Trauma
Does your heart race when you hear police sirens or see an officer in uniform? How about the feeling of a knot twisting in your stomach at the announcement of the death of another person of African descent within the judicial system? You may be experiencing what mental health professionals refer to as Racial Trauma. Racial trauma describes the mental, emotional, and physiological distress people experience in response to encounters of systemic racism and prejudice such as the direct or indirect racial harassment, witnessing racial violence or institutionalized racism (Bryant-Davis & Ocampo, 2006; Comas-Diaz, 2016). Furthermore, In The Impact of Racial Trauma on African Americans, Dr. Walter Smith identified common responses to racial trauma such as:
- Increased aggression – Street gangs, domestic violence, defiant behavior, and appearing tough and impenetrable are ways of coping with danger by attempting to control our physical and social environment
- Increased vigilance and suspicion – Suspicion of social institutions (e.g. schools, agencies, government), avoiding eye contact, only trusting persons within our social and family relationship networks
- Increased sensitivity to threat – Defensive postures, avoiding new situations, heightened sensitivity to being disrespected and shamed, and avoid taking risks
- Increase psychological and physiological symptoms – Unresolved traumas increase chronic stress and decrease immune system functioning, shift brains to limbic system dominance, increase risks for depression and anxiety disorders, and disrupt child development and quality of emotional attachment in family and social relationships
- Increase alcohol and drug usage – Drugs and alcohol are initially useful (real and perceived) in managing the pain and danger of unresolved traumas but become their own disease processes when dependency occurs
- Narrowing sense of time – People living in a chronic state of danger do not develop a sense of future, do not have long-term goals, and frequently view dying as an expected outcome
Trauma Model
The Trauma Model tells us people when threated (by real or perceived threat) respond in 1 of 4 ways:
- Physical distance
- Emotional withdrawal
- Freeze
- Aggression
I am sure my responses to trauma are clear. I originally was aggressive in response to social injustice and later decided it was in my best interest to engage in emotional withdrawal. There is no explanation available beyond personal preference for management of my emotional and mental health. Moreover, Dr. Smith states no response is universally right or wrong and the best way to respond is any of the ways the individual sees fit, with the ability to choose which is best for the specific situation.
The experience of trauma occurs in two phases; the arousal phase in which we respond to and actively manage the threat and the recovery phrase that describes how we cope with danger once it is over. The way we cope with traumatic experiences builds the framework of how we cope with other experiences of stress within our lives. Thus, healthy coping skills for trauma will be effective for healthy functioning when we are stressed in other ways.
- Strategies for successful recovery phrase (Hardy, 2013)
- Redirect Your Rage – Learn to manage your emotions instead of being consumed by them. Focus on variables in life that you can control such as activism (e.g. voting) or acts of self-care (e.g. spending time with family). This is especially important to develop resilience against adversity.
- Racial Storytelling – Share stories about your experiences and think critically about their impact
- Create Space for Race – Encourage open realms to discuss race as a viable variable within society
- The Process of Naming – “Name” the hidden wounds of racial oppression. One of the most debilitating aspects of racial oppression is that this is a nameless condition, difficult to describe, quantify, or codify.
- Externalize & Counteract Devaluation – Recognize that assaults on your dignity do not lessen your self-worth. Exhale and expunge the societal toxins regarding who you allegedly are. Identify and build your strengths (behavioral strengths, emotional strengths, spiritual strengths, and psychological strengths) to provide a buffer against future assaults to your dignity and sense of self.
- Signs of successful recovery phrase
- Ability to manage traumatic experiences so that they do not interfere with our ability to achieve important life goals (not blaming self or others; not helplessness)
- Ability to self-regulate emotional arousal and thoughtfully assess if future situations are dangerous (not react to every perception of danger)
- Ability to use family and social relationships to manage trauma
- Ability to find meaning and purpose from the traumatic experience
What now?
For trauma associated with police brutality, my responses are mixed. Freeze and physical distance are the best strategies to prevent viewing any videos or listening to audio that displays the death of a person. Furthermore, I remain emotionally withdrawn in reference to online debates and discussion with family, friend, colleagues, etc. But, I am aggressive through factors I can control such as my voting behavior, policy development, and advocacy for development and dissemination of culturally-informed mental health practices for non-health realms (e.g. judicial system).
How do you respond to racial trauma?
How does this influence your response to stressful situations?
Interested in learning more about racial trauma? Please see below for sources of today’s post
Bryant-Davis, T., & Ocampo, C. (2006). A therapeutic approach to the treatment of racist-incident-based trauma. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 6(4), 1-22.
Carter, R. T., & Forsyth, J. M. (2009). A guide to the forensic assessment of race-based traumatic stress reactions. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 37(1), 28-40.
Comas-Díaz, L. (2016). Racial trauma recovery: A race-informed therapeutic approach to racial wounds. In Alvarez, A.N. (Ed); Liang, C. T. H. (Ed); Neville, H. A. (Ed), The cost of racism for people of color: Contextualizing experiences of discrimination. Cultural, racial, and ethnic psychology book series (pp. 249-272). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
Geller, A., Fagan, J., Tyler, T., & Link, B. G. (2014). Aggressive policing and the mental health of young urban men. American Journal Of Public Health, 104(12), 2321-2327
Hardy, K. V. (2013). Healing the Hidden Wounds of Racial Trauma. Reclaiming Children And Youth, 22(1), 24-28.