A Theoretical Framework for Racial Trauma
One area that is growing quickly in the field of trauma studies is the area of racial trauma. Although there is no official therapeutic diagnosis for the phrase “racial trauma,” the theory is beginning to be studied extensively.
The National Center for PTSD (run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) defines racial trauma as “the emotional impact of stress related to racism, racial discrimination, and race-related stressors, such as being affected by stereotypes, hurtful comments, or barriers to advancement. Racial trauma can refer to a specific incident of racial discrimination or the ongoing, harmful emotional impact of racial discrimination that builds up over time.”
Racial trauma manifests itself in a number of ways. When people of racialized minority groups experience discrimination, racial microaggressions, or become witness to race-based violence, they open themselves up to the mental distress that can accompany these experiences. These effects of racial trauma include symptoms that resemble those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The symptoms include hypervigilance, anxiety, depression, unexpected negative perceptions of self, and difficulties in interpersonal relationships.
Establishing a Framework for Racial Trauma
University of Ottawa professor Jude Cenat created a framework for studying what he terms “complex racial trauma.” Cenat views racial trauma much broader than threats only at the interpersonal level. He stated that racial trauma is “the cumulative impact of race-based traumatic experiences at individual, institutional, and systemic levels,” and its existence at all of these levels creates an ongoing pressure and distress affecting racialized minority groups in virtually all facets of life. “People exposed to instances of racial trauma do not experience an isolated incident but rather repeated incidents of both the same and new forms of racial trauma.” Complex racial trauma results in adverse biological effects, cognitive effects, emotional effects, interpersonal effects, and socioeconomic effects.
Cenat dives deeper into the need to study racial trauma as a distinct field of its own. He states that “some researchers can argue that racial trauma is simply a complex trauma like any other and does not need a separate category. However, racial trauma differs from complex trauma in three fundamental ways: its origin, constancy beyond childhood, and internalization.” These three fundamental differences, described below, are important to give weight and credibility to establishing racial trauma as a viable area for further research study.
The first factor that differentiates racial trauma from other types of complex trauma is that racial trauma’s origin is firmly rooted in skin color and cultural/physical characteristics. A person’s skin color, physical characteristics, and ethnic background are inextricably tied to a person’s identity in ways that other identity markers are not. A person can hide their religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status. These demographic factors are not as visibly apparent as race. Furthermore, these other demographic factors are not steeped in centuries of violence, degradation, and persecution as the case is for race and ethnicity.
The trauma associated with race has its origin in a system that is much more complicated and intertwined with the fabric of our country’s history. As horrible as other forms of complex trauma can be, terrible traumatic events are generally not direct results of a person’s identity markers combined with the histories of violence and persecution associated with these identity markers. (However, the persecution and subjugation of women comes very close in that regard. For that reason, a firmly established field of misogynistic trauma should be studied alongside a firmly established field of racial trauma.)
The second difference between racial trauma and other forms of complex trauma is that the threat of a person’s sense of safety persists far beyond childhood. Many people encounter their first acts of racism as children, and then racist encounters continue into adulthood. The repetitive nature of racism creates within a person a repository of accumulated racially-based traumatic incidents. These not only exist on interpersonal levels, but they persist intertwined within the fabric of society’s institutions, including education, healthcare, legislation, entertainment, judicial systems, and other facets of daily life. This leads many people of racialized populations to develop an unhealthy hypervigilance in which relaxation and peace gives way to always being “on guard”.
Finally, Cenat notes that internalized racism is the third difference between racial trauma and other forms of complex trauma. He explains that this happens when “racialized individuals internalize the thoughts of the dominant group over that of the racial group that they belong to, leading to the reproduction of attitudes, behaviors, and ideologies that have now created a system of oppression and privilege.” Cenat emphasizes that this internalized racism is considered very different from low self-esteem because internalized racism has the potential to alter and block the self-perception of racialized individuals and their communities.
Treating Racial Trauma
When it comes to treating racial trauma, research is sparse and varied. Some therapists adapt already existing PTSD treatments in culturally-responsive ways. Some therapists work with clients on restoring self-control and executive functions through a combination process of developing forgiveness for oppressive systems while simultaneously voicing anger and seeking restorative justice. Another intervention included group based discussions on the effects of historical racism and systemic oppression, as well as strategies for dealing with race-based stressors. Some therapists also use individuals, families, and communities together as a positive culturally-competent approach to healing. This is an approach that creates a treatment based on the leveraged strengths of the individuals and communities. One promising intervention even involved participants creating personal identity narratives to transform racial trauma into cognitive processes that sparked post-traumatic growth.
Conclusion
There is an abundance of evidence and testimonials that support the need for more research on racial trauma. Mental health professionals need to raise awareness of the dynamics of racial trauma and its implications for positive mental health outcomes. More robust assessment tools are needed to measure racial trauma symptoms, and extensive training is needed for therapists to adequately diagnose and treat racial trauma. In this way, we may eventually see racial trauma as a necessary inclusion in regular therapy practice.