Racial Trauma
What is racial trauma?
Racial trauma (also referred to as racialized trauma) refers to the mental and emotional injury that is caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes. In some cases, racial trauma can lead to race-based traumatic stress, where individuals experience symptoms comparable to post-traumatic stress disorder.
As a result of these racist encounters, a person might develop several limiting beliefs, and many of these beliefs will take root in childhood. Examples of limiting beliefs due to racial trauma include (but are not limited to) the following:
“There’s something wrong with me.” / “I’m defective.”
“I don’t belong.” / “I’m not accepted.”
“I don’t deserve good things.” / “I deserve bad things to happen to me.”
BIPOC individuals can also develop internalized racism, which is discrimination and racism (whether conscious or unconscious) towards oneself and one’s ethnic group due to experiencing repeated racist encounters. These minority individuals often feel shame (related to their identity, the colour of their skin, aspects of their appearance, or characteristics of their own ethnic group) and may even attempt to distance themselves from their ethnic background by “blending in” as much as possible with the more dominant, White culture.
If you can relate to the above-mentioned experiences, then I may be a good fit for you as your therapist. Together we can explore experiences, attitudes, and beliefs that have shaped you and the ways you operate within the world.
