The Lingering Effects of Racial Trauma and the Pathway to Healing
Racial trauma is a deeply rooted psychological wound stemming from experiences of racism, bigotry, and discrimination. For many, racial trauma goes beyond singular events, becoming a chronic source of stress and impacting mental, emotional, and even physical well-being. To truly understand the impact of racial trauma, consider the personal nature of these experiences.
My dear friend recently shared that she’d started a new fitness routine: every morning, she walks for 30 minutes. As she sat across from me in her office, she mentioned her morning walks, describing the peaceful neighborhood she strolled through daily. I casually shared that I, too, used to try to exercise outside, but that the experience had been different for me. I recounted how, once, while riding my orange bike with the white banana seat to my grandparents' house, I’d been assaulted by an older boy in my neighborhood.
The boy in question had harassed me daily, taunting me with a word that began with "n" and ended with "r." His attacks were so regular that my mother and grandparents advised me to ignore him, telling me that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” They encouraged me to be kind to him, to kill his hatred with kindness. I greeted him every day, complimented him—even though I was met with contempt each time.
One day, he decided words weren’t enough and, with a baseball bat in hand, struck me as I rode past. I remember the sting on my arm and the fear that forced me to keep pedaling, tears streaming down my face as I arrived at my grandparents’ house. My mother confronted the boy’s father, and after that, I no longer saw him on my path, but the fear stayed with me. It’s a story I rarely share, though it lives in the background of my life, a reminder of an early lesson in how the world could see and treat me differently because of my skin.
This experience is just one example of racial trauma, which encompasses not only direct acts of racial violence or discrimination but also the lasting psychological and emotional effects of these encounters. Racial trauma is often cumulative, a consequence of repeated experiences of racism, prejudice, or microaggressions that compound over time, gradually deepening the wound. Psychological studies recognize that racial trauma can lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress, including hypervigilance, anxiety, and depression, especially if there was no proper support or resolution at the time of the incident (Williams et al., 2018).
Why Racial Trauma Stays with Us
Personal experiences of racial trauma, particularly those that occur in childhood or adolescence, shape our worldview and influence our sense of safety. Often, the lack of adequate responses from those around us—be they family members, friends, or community leaders—means that the impact of these incidents lingers. In my case, the advice to “kill him with kindness” or to ignore his slurs, while well-meaning, left me feeling isolated in dealing with the trauma. This lack of acknowledgment can deepen the hurt, reinforcing a message that such incidents should be accepted as “normal,” even though they cause profound pain (Carter et al., 2017).
Steps Toward Healing
Addressing racial trauma means creating spaces where stories like mine and countless others can be shared openly and supported with empathy and action. Here are some strategies for healing:
Culturally Responsive Therapy
Therapists who understand and acknowledge the realities of racial trauma can create safe, validating spaces for healing. Therapy that considers racial identity and cultural background can allow clients to process their experiences in a context that honors their unique challenges and strengths.Collective Healing in Community
Community support can help validate and process trauma. Spaces for sharing experiences and collective resilience-building allow individuals to feel less alone and more empowered.Mindfulness and Self-Care
Practices like mindfulness and self-care can support the healing process. Grounding exercises, meditation, and journaling have been shown to mitigate stress, allowing individuals to manage the lingering effects of trauma.Education and Advocacy
Raising awareness about racial trauma can foster understanding and inspire actions to address systemic inequalities. Education helps society better respond to racial trauma, ensuring that fewer individuals experience isolation after trauma.Intergenerational Dialogue
Open conversations about trauma across generations can help individuals process and contextualize their experiences. Sharing these stories within families or communities can help break cycles of silence and support collective healing.
Seeking Support for Healing
If you’ve experienced racial trauma—whether through direct acts of discrimination or by witnessing it—know that healing doesn’t have to be a solitary journey. Traumatic experiences, especially those rooted in racism, can create emotional scars that feel difficult to overcome alone. Therapy can be a powerful tool for processing these wounds in a safe and supportive environment, especially when culturally responsive therapists can validate and address the unique challenges of racial trauma.
Therapy is also important for those who may have participated in racial trauma, even inadvertently. The journey to heal often includes a deeper understanding of our own actions, biases, and the ways we contribute to systemic or interpersonal harm. Therapy can help individuals work through the guilt or shame associated with past actions and develop healthier, more inclusive attitudes that contribute to a more empathetic society.
A Path Forward
Healing from racial trauma takes courage, self-compassion, and sometimes guidance from others. If you feel that the impact of your experiences is affecting your daily life or preventing you from moving forward, seeking help from a therapist can be a meaningful step. Therapy provides a structured space to understand and process trauma, reduce its impact, and develop tools for resilience.
No matter where you are on your healing journey, remember that there is support available. Seeking therapy is not only a step toward personal well-being but also an act of empowerment and self-compassion, honoring your journey and the journey of all those who have experienced racial trauma.By taking these steps, we can create a world where people no longer have to bear the weight of trauma alone, instead finding support, validation, and healing. Personal stories, like mine, emphasize the urgency of creating spaces for healing, where trauma is not only acknowledged but addressed as a path to resilience and empowerment.
References
Carter, R. T., Johnson, V., Kirkinis, K., Roberson, K., Muchow, C., & Galgay, C. (2017). A Meta-Analytic Review of Racial Discrimination: Relationships to Health and Culture. Race and Social Problems, 9(3), 196-216.
Williams, M. T., Metzger, I., Leins, C., & DeLapp, C. (2018). Assessing Racial Trauma within a DSM-5 Framework: The UConn Racial/Ethnic Stress & Trauma Survey. Practice Innovations, 3(4), 242-260.
