Understanding Racialized trauma

Racial trauma, also known as race-based traumatic stress (RBTS), refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias, ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes. It encompasses the varied psychological, mental, and emotional harm that results from witnessing racism and discrimination or experiencing them firsthand¹. Here are some key points about racialized trauma:

  1. Causes: Racialized trauma can arise from various sources:

    • Individual Racism: Direct experiences where racism is enacted upon an individual. For example, incidents of physical or verbal attacks based on race.
    • Systemic Racism: Ongoing exposure to racial stressors, such as racist bias, discrimination, violence against people of color, and racist abuse in the media. Systemic racism creates an environment where a person of color feels unsafe simply because of the color of their skin⁵.
    • Vicarious Trauma: Witnessing racism experienced by others, such as seeing videos of racial discrimination or hate crimes.
    • Intergenerational Transmission: Trauma passed down through generations due to historical and cultural factors.

  2. Symptoms: Racial trauma can lead to symptoms similar to those experienced with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These may include:

    • Depression
    • Anger
    • Recurring thoughts of the traumatic event
    • Physical reactions (e.g., headaches, chest pains, insomnia)
    • Hypervigilance
    • Low self-esteem
    • Mentally distancing oneself from the traumatic events

  3. Vulnerability: Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) are particularly vulnerable to racial trauma due to living within a system of white supremacy. However, anyone who experiences emotionally painful, sudden, and uncontrollable racist encounters is at risk of suffering from race-based traumatic stress.

  4. Not a Mental Disorder: Unlike PTSD, RBTS is not considered a mental health disorder. Instead, it is a mental injury that can occur as a result of living within a racist system or experiencing events of racism.

  5. Examples:

    • Individual Racism: Anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 outbreak, verbal attacks based on language, and anti-Semitic tweets.
    • Systemic Racism: Overrepresentation of Black people in the prison population due to racist arrests and sentencing practices¹.

Remember that addressing racial trauma involves acknowledging its impact, seeking support, and advocating for systemic change. If you or someone you know is experiencing racial trauma, consider reaching out to mental health professionals or community resources for assistance. 🌟²⁴

Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/10/2024 (1) Racial Trauma | Mental Health America. https://www.mhanational.org/racial-trauma. (2) Understanding Racial Trauma - ODU - Old Dominion University. https://ww1.odu.edu/content/dam/odu/offices/academic-affairs/docs/racial-trauma-and-diversity.pdf. (3) The Impact of Racial Trauma and How to Cope - Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-racial-trauma-5210344. (4) Racialized Trauma: Signs, Effects, Examples & Healing - MantraCare. https://mantracare.org/therapy/ptsd-trauma/racialized-trauma/. (5) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Racial Trauma. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/rq_docs/V32N1.pdf.

Robert Stanford