Racism can be deeply traumatic. And for one teenager who was repeatedly experiencing racism, it was triggering a freeze response.
So how did Thema Bryant, PhD work with her?
She’ll share her approach in the video below. Thema will also explain the difference between traditional trauma therapy and liberation therapy, and why liberation therapy can be so critical for people from marginalized communities.
Click here for full transcript
Now we’d like to hear from you. Please share some of your biggest takeaways in the comments below.
If you found this helpful, here are a few more resources you might be interested in:
Our new 4-module course Treating Racial Trauma: Strategies for Working with the Wounds of Racism, with strategies from 19 leading experts in the field of multicultural psychology including Thema Bryant, PhD; Howard Stevenson, PhD; Beverly Greene, PhD; Daryl Rowe, PhD; Usha Tummala-Narra, PhD; and many others.
When Racism Triggers Emotional Reactivity
When Staying Neutral Isn’t the Best Approach
Moving from Cultural Competence to Antiracism
Fabulous
Dr Brian Neil Talarico, North Bay Psychiatrist Has been convicted of child molestation, and possession of child pornography on his computer. Sexually molesting a young boy. He had prior convictions for child molestation in 1990 and 2001. After his parole in 2006 Dr. Talarico Brian Works for North Bay Regional Health Centre, and elsewhere, despite his background, and numerous complaints against him of abuse, fraud, negligence, and imprisonment. he has a sexual preference for younger boys, feeds them antipsychotics, and fondles children… we’re now dealing childhood trauma, we’re concerned for the safety of the public
Excellent and incredibly important work. This training was exceptionally done. It was additive to my clinical capabilities as an emerging psychotherapist.
So happy to find a clinician doing this work and connecting trauma and race. There is a deficit in the trauma world regarding the impact of race on the individual and communal levels. For those who wish to follow another expert looking at trauma and race, particularly as it relates to the impact of slavery, I offer Dr. Joy DeGruy. Both Dr. DeGruy and Dr. Bryant offer so much hope for our communities of color who want to heal, but may not know where to begin.
Very helpful!
Nice statement…however what is your argument or position as it relates to the many Systemically Racist Institutions in America (We’ll stay local for now…) starting with our lovely Law Enforcement Departments across this stolen land! Your so-called hard upbringing would be something I probably would have welcomed, not to dismiss your experience however troubling, you went through it “While White” in America. Many of us Blacks have navigated the trauma, gone to Higher Ed Institutions and gotten Graduate Degrees and more only to arrive at the next level of discriminatory, racist, oppressive practices all because we are going through it “While Black!”
Wow!! Well stated.
It sounds like you are doing beautiful work with this young girl. It’s so important to provide a safe environment where people feel comfortable exploring these issues! I often use your name as a reference so people can understand the problems of racism. People need a voice, and unfortunately, it feels as if people are too busy to listen. I have pleaded with people to explain to me how they have come up with this racist narrative.
I haven’t had anyone willing to come forward and challenged me and my beliefs. The media celebrates, and the rich and powerful are controlling the dialogue. It is retraumatizing for people who have already suffered from childhood trauma. Trauma is trauma, and one person’s suffering shouldn’t dwarf another one.
I feel angry when you advocate for yourself and others that the racism card is always pulled out. Isn’t that racism too?
I am astonished that the Holocaust isn’t taught in schools. Many social media platforms still allow anti-Semitic dialogue.
Nazi Germany and slavery existed because of groupthink and propaganda. If we don’t learn from history, we repeat it. The silencing of voices with different political views reminds me of how Hitler came to power.
I am way to old to play these childish games. People don’t want their political views to be challenged. That is very sad and is freighting. Is freedom of speech a thing of the past? As a Marriage and Family Therapist, advocating for people is just second nature.
What about the traumatized children in our country? I am most concerned that many influential people are more interested and supporting other countries than our own. Ironically, many influential people forget where they came from; they seem more concerned about hate and revenge. I don’t trust or respect people who are dividing our country even further. If you are always criticizing and demoralizing people you will never get a positive result!
Could not agree more, Ms Clement.
I live in another country, which has similar fight for similar rights for our citizens.
Let us pray our worlds are on the way to hearing the message.
Thank you for posting this really superb explication of liberation therapy. I am very happy to have listened. And too, even though I live far away in a southern hemisphere country and am not black, I did, like so many people everywhere experience profound trauma as a child and teenager. I found great help and deeper understanding of the freeze response, which I still sometimes, even as a senior woman experience.
I loved the description of traditional therapy as compared to liberation therapy.
Looking back, I experienced some well meaning but traditional therapy, which did not really help at a deeper level, three times in my life.
When I was introduced to information about neuroscience, the roles of the amygdala, the vagus nerve, and so on, and how to assist these overactive parts of my brain physiology, I began to integrate the freeze response, as well as the fight, and flight responses.
Thank you NICABM. I watch many of your videos and have done for a number of years.
What we all need, is the level of deep understanding of this therapist. I am so happy that this teenager found the way to unfreeze to the degree of insisting on the right therapist for her.
I’m eternally grateful for this timely post. Your video is the first I’ve seen on this site that addressed a clinical issue for Black clients done by a Black professional. As a Black Clinical Social Worker, I know how White the curriculum was at a leading university. Bless this teenager for standing her ground with mother & her friend. Divine intervention guided her to you!
I’m just now learning about Liberation Theology and newer theories since I’ve semi-retired. So much information today, no reason for cultural insensitivity. Do no harm regardless of licensure. Refer clients when you don’t have the skills. White privilege is not about wealth. Black people can be bigots, prejudiced but the word racist is a label for whites only! Please educate yourselves to under the terms! In today’s climate, there all kinds of options for information.
From the age of 10 to 21 I was raised in a violent black neighborhood.
I went there with my mom and my 4 siblings, all white, when my mom met and married a violent abusive pedophopile black man. He abused every one of us in the worst ways. Evil evil person.
I was shy and nerdy. The level, amount, and continual traumas I suffered affect me still today. 8 rapes, 3 attempted murders, one by moms husband and 2 by the man who “loved” me 2 kidnaps and 1 attempted kidnap. Beatings by more people than I can or care to count. At 15 I lived in the streets since it was a safer than my mom’s home and spent 3 years as a prostitute, then 3 yrs in an abusive relationship before I finally escaped.
It has left me battle torn. I’ve tried suicide multiple times since the age of 11 and I can’t even get out that way.
What my point is, is that racism is not just for blacks. They also have a duty and a responsibility to step back and check themselves with the hatred they have for white people and acting on it.
I’ll never recover, I’ve been to many therapists. I end up scaring them with my stories. Nobody is ready for that and nobody knows how to deal with negativity towards blacks without telling you how good they are. I still have nightmares, I’m afraid to sleep, I panic when I drink water, due to overdosing too much, one therapist said. Major chronic depressive disorder, ptsd, ocd, and adhd, maybe borderline personality, and bipolar.
I recently took a safety class in order to purchase a gun for protection with all this black violence matters, but I know I’d use it on my self, mercifully.
Racism goes both ways and I feel my story can’t be told ever because it isn’t politically correct. And my feelings can never be acknowledged or validated.
Hi Frances,
I just wanted to acknowledge your story as I found it moving and it reminded me of clients I have seen who have endured the most horrific abuse in life. There are therapists out there I am sure who are willing to sit with you and validate your feelings and experience and support you. I work for a specialist agency which deals with sexual and other forms of abuse in the UK, trauma therapy specialists. You need to find the right therapist who is comfortable with taking your particular issues on board. Some are not equipped to sit with rape and sexual abuse issues, let alone complicated by race issues. I hope there is a specialist organisation for survivors of rape and domestic violence/sexual abuse near you with highly trained experienced therapists. It sounds like that’s what you need.
I am an SGI Buddhist and believe that everyone has the highest potential of the Buddha but also the lowest of hell. So yes everyone is capable of both good and evil regardless of appearance, gender or sexuality. So I don’t see any reason to invalidate your history.
I just feel a need to respond to this as no-one else seems to have done so here and I feel for you. He was as you say an evil person. Maybe part of that was getting back at white people for their racism towards black people. I don’t and can’t know. Either way it’s not an excuse and I’m not excusing him. What he did to you was cruel and evil and damaging and destructive. How you come back from that, from all you’ve been through, I don’t know, but I hope you do. From the clarity of the way you write you come across to me as being fundamentally intact despite all the horrors you have been through.
It sounds like you didn’t buy that gun? If I‘ve picked that up correctly, it sounds like something in you wants to live. You have not been successful at suicide! I’m imagining that’s because the strong spirit in you, the strong spirit you are is impossible to kill. I hope in this lifetime you will find the resources to heal despite your experience so far.
My name is Mary O’Neill. I’m a white Irish female living in Dublin. I’ve trained as an Art Psychotherapist and in Process-Oriented Psychology, which seems not unlike liberation psychology in that it has a social activism aspect to it. (See aamindell.net if you’d like to know more.) I’m 69 and not really practicing at the moment. And maybe all we have in common is being white and female – and human. But I just want you to know I’m thinking of you and feel in solidarity with you in the hope that that may help even the tiniest little bit. If you want to check me out, you can find my profile on iacat.ie.
I really enjoyed listening to your experience with this very brave adolescent. She must have felt very validated & soothed by your presence. I am working with a client who has a similar background (adopted from East Africa by Caucasian parents) & is struggling with the family’s refusal to discuss BLM or acknowledge systemic racism.
Words of wisdom!! Thank you Thelma!
Thank you , my takeaway is de colonization skills for healing racial trauma includes coping skills and skills to minimize internalization of racism and what I describe as ” holding ground”
I really appreciate the speedy response NICABM have given to open this debate up properly, before a training is offered!
Academic journals can be slow to respond and lacking in practice and political debate is usually denials or apologetics!
To be honest, I’m feeling the most immense awe at this adolescent who had such strong intelligence and survival instinct that she knew she needed to seek out a therapist, and who she needed that therapist to be.
Yes! What courage, awareness, and self care. Wow! It also heightens my awareness that there are so many who have those experiences and emotions, but not those strengths
Thank you for this! Hopefully this is the beginning of seeing more people of color on these pages going forward. I would LOVE it if NICABM made a series with experts on Liberation Psychology.
I agree wholeheartedly❣
Ditto ?
Johann and Shirley, we’ve been working on something like what you mention for several weeks now. It will be another month or more as we want to make sure it is really high quality. So please stay tuned.
Thank you.
Thank you Thelma!
I suppose, the balancing of unequal power is well within the scope of Social Work frame works.
During my studies, I also came across the following concepts which I found useful:
Cultural inferiority complex. (Internalised colonial messaging)
And
Ethno-centricity underlies colonialist’s believes that their cultural is better and therefore dominance is justified.
Useful topics at times! Lively discussions and realisations!
I enjoyed the fact that the client did not try to please her “friend” by saying she got a pass, and made the “friend” realize that she had hurt her. Walking away sounds good to me; and the fact that she asked to go to therapy and knew what kind of therapist she wanted, shows her emotional resilience.
I think the mother also has to go to therapy because she did not realize that she was putting her daughter in a difficult and unfair position by projecting the Adult reaction and response on her daughter, instead of taking the responsibility and locus of control on herself. It is not the daughter’s task to be the Adult here. It is the mother’s task and she has to be guided to see this.
I totally agree. We can almost see this mom who adopts a child of a different race may have seen herself as a hero of sorts. Now she is secretly expecting the child to be forever grateful for being “rescued.” That is not a mother’s unconditional love, and I’m sure it worked until her daughter hit her teenage years and began to see through it. It’s toxic.
Not the daughter’s job! Mom needs therapy.
Blessing and Peace to you my sister
Thank you Thelma.
Thank you for putting it all so gentle but still in “academic “ way, meaning not in a form that is foreign for people who are not professionals.
While describing your clients freeze response and “kids” like little puppies sensing her discomfort it open huge hidden door behind I have hidden my freeze responses from childhood!?!
Why?
Shame for not fighting for myself…
My soul was almost lost when like your client pointed out; this is it, my parents my school mates , no where to go!!
Such a heavy burden carried through life..
And I am grateful for learning how resistance against beliefs about ourselves has to be fought in therapy obviously there is a lot more to learn but thank you for bringing it closer to me.
Katarina
Having once worked in this field and experienced this same scenario I praise this presenter/practitioner for mentioning as an aspect of Treatment, Liberation Psychology and De-Colonization Psychology. Utilizing this approach was most appropriate and RARE in actual treatment applications. Mainly because too many white practitioners, as well as acculturated non-whites practitioners, are absolutely incompetent when it comes to this arena. Bravo for those who are aware of the NEED for this and utilize it.
Now to mention the possible Colonialist and white Domination [Racist] Psychology of the parents [so called “Liberal” notions aside]. That would go to a foreign land. Adopt a “Black”-African child. Then in typical
and obvious racial insensitivity, when dealing with an actual racially sensitive issue, the adoptive parent attempts to make it seem as though it was THEIR child’s need to cope with their mother’s [white Domination-Racist] insensitivity.
THIS calls into the larger question of white parent’s desire to adopt non-American Descendent of Slavery children, who are right HERE, where the NEED is GREAT. Yet prefer to adopt non-white Children from abroad. What and Why is that [I have a suspicion]?
Lastly due to the client’s parent’s OBVIOUS white Domination [Racist] insensitivity. How was it at all possible that they were able to adopt a non-white foreign born child? Why were there no qualifications or trainings on how white parents would deal with situations just like that? Why were there no expectations or qualifications that such white adults have connections with African or ADOS communities.
THIS is one of the many reasons I left the field. The Obvious and reoccurring de-facto and de-jure white Domination [Racism] that exists in the so called, “Helping Professions”.
Wow! What a wonderful young woman……Strong, clear and powerful. This is such good work _together. This is the authentic interaction I think all clients would wish for…I like that the psychologist validated her and ‘armed her.’ Thank you.
This is helpful to hear. Thank you!
I really appreciated the discussion of liberation therapy. Thank you.
You’re misunderstanding the meaning of a pass. She is referring to the common behavior of those of color saying the N word to eachother in some sort of acceptable way, and this is ok for some reason. However apparently it’s not acceptable for those not of color to use the word. Perhaps if we eliminate the word from anyone saying it, no one will make those mistakes.
such a thoughtful explanation of the complexity/layers involved when standing up against racist comments.
Thank you. F. Gohier RCC
Thank you. As a mother of five (grandparent of 12, great grandparent of 9) and a special education teacher (recently retired), I am so grateful for this work. My girls are biological and my boys are adopted. I am white. Their father is white. One son is biracial, the other is black. Grandchildren are white, biracial, black. I know their experiences are different in so many unjust ways that it makes me cry and cry out. Thank you, thank you, for your work. I’m sharing this with them.
Thank you. I believe that all of us are racist in some way, even when we think we are not and I think the ‘holding space’ and grieving and accepting parts of this liberation therapy, together with ‘mobilization’ are gold dust. I agree that racism is different from other forms of trauma and have used this method successfully too with other forms of discrimination ie sexual discrimination and teasing and bullying of many sorts. May I tell you a sweet story that I think is a brilliant light for all of us? A couple of years ago I was on a school bus going to a Disney Princesses Icecapade, helping as a volunteer grandmother. My grandaughter’s school is in an area of Calgary that is heavily immigrant, with every colour of skin including about 15% – 20% white, often from Eastern Europe. I had the privilege of sitting amongst dozens of little 7 and 8 year olds wearing thick blonde braids, ‘like Elsa and Anna’, completely unaware of skin colour. The experience brought tears to my eyes in its innocence and simple love and joy: children can teach us so much.
Julie, if I may I’d like to add that those children aren’t protected from the media use to influence, control and brainwash them in the future. This is becoming very difficult to control and it affect the mental health of many, just as we have seen recently all over the news with “hate” attitudes and “intentional” (not innocent) behavior to hurt the most vulnerable population like elders, and younger who haven’t been taught early or informed from reliable sources about what to do in the case of micro-aggression in their surrounding. It would be a big mistake to believe wrongly that the social change is sufficient to affect behaviors, but it is a first step towards a better way of relating with others.
I appreciate Nicabm’s effort to address this and educate us more. Thank you for this.
Thank you so much. When I saw a therapist in the 90s and spoke of the trauma of racism I was told I needed CBT to change my thoughts about experiencing racism. My reactions were pathologized.
Thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom. Liberation Psychology was briefly mentioned when I attended my Master’s program and I haven’t heard much about the theory since. I researched Liberation Therapy and came up with medical applications. I did find more on the subject when I searched for Liberation Psychology. That said, I was glad to see the books written on this subject and seminars available for learning, sharing and
understanding the deeply rooted hurt. I feel therapists would be better equipped if this was required in degree programs. Also, when I researched on the internet and the APA has info on their website if you enter..Liberation Psychology …in their search button. Again, I am grateful for the work you are doing.
Wow! That was one your best illustrations of helping a client that is experiencing the trauma of racism. Liberating or decolonizing therapy is very useful.
A powerful teaching: “woke” white people eclipse black voices from speaking their own truth. I have passed this on to my group with gratitude.
Working with the trauma of racism requires top down, bottom up, and side to side approaches.
My first comment is the complexity of it all. I would like to have organizations of black empowerment for her to work with or even consider starting at her school. “Be on the look out for teachers or leaders who could be your allies. I’ll be looking this week and you look too.”
I took away that there was good reason why melinated folk ought to seek black therapists or white therapists who have actually deconstructed their underlying non-melinated projection complex . It’s not sufficient to be a psychologist .
I also took away that there are good reasons why adopted melinated children are best supported in families “like them “ that get the systemic oppression that us the in the collective shadow of non melinated folk .
Wonderful, thank you so much for this. The power of having a voice and support, to be shown compassion and truly listened to. Great work!
This warmed my heart that you were there for her. Great aide for her to have you to process. Heard in your voice how caring you were for this young lady.
Think it is so imperative for me to get more supervision or therapy in these times. Thanks for the parallel process as I often get people with this kind of descrimination foster care or adoptive homes.
My own granddaughter was adopted from another country and is suffering with people she has grown up around, unaware of their cruelty, or caring for her needs and feelings. It has been endless lately. She was even glad for the quarantine to ge.r away from the cruelty Thanks for sharing your compassion and thoughts for this young girl.
Liberation therapy, cultural humility, an anti-racist orientation, working with the trauma of racism… I would really like to learn a lot more, especially as a regularly integrated theme within the Next Level Practitioner program.
Hi Chris,
Thank you for your comment. I feel similarly and have been wishing for the same. I think this is a great platform to include much more information on racial trauma (and the concepts you noted) to better incorporate that into therapeutic work. Ultimately, improving ourselves as psychologists, moving the field forward, and enabling the healing of so many more clients. Thank you for your comment, and thank you NICABM for highlighting this approach!
Ana
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