We hope you'll find some guidance here if you are looking for an article that will help you understand what Racial Trauma (RT) or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS) is and how to work with it. We know there is no way we could cover everything connected to this topic, as it is vast— infinite, but we hope to cover some basic things and provide some guidance in this article. It refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes.

Race-Based Trauma

Trauma happens.

Black people, in particular, experience it frequently in the form of Racism in their daily lives.

This kind of trauma is ubiquitous and can be more damaging than other kinds as there is no end in sight, and it is ongoing.

Race-based traumatic stress (RBTS) is a term used to describe what it is like for individuals who live with a darker skin tone and have features different than what is considered the “standard” (those who are lighter skinned with whiter features—typically those of European descent). This kind of trauma occurs as a result of outright attacks and microaggressions (death by a thousand cuts) that are perpetrated based on a person’s perceived race. These attacks come from everywhere and anywhere, from teachers to strangers, peers to co-workers, the police, and in general, from those with lighter skin color privilege in our society.

Black people and other communities of color experience trauma when they are attacked, physically, indirectly, or vicariously, and when they experience racial microaggressions. The form of these microaggressions may vary from one individual to another. Still, they all have one thing in common: their purpose is to make the recipient feel like their race or ethnicity is ‘different” or “other,” which can send a message they do not fit in and are not valued by society, that they are subpar and undeserving of being themselves and that they should look like those of the dominant (White/European American) culture. Racial microaggressions, which may sound like casual comments or racially insensitive actions, often cause those directed towards them to develop low self-esteem and poor body image because they are made to feel inferior compared with others in the dominant culture.

It has been well established that individuals who experience RBST often develop depression, anxiety disorders, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). There is also Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, or PTSS, coined by Dr. Joy DeGruy, which points to the reality of what centuries of terror, violence, rape, and abuse can do to an entire group of people, causing multigenerational trauma to ensue.

It is directed towards those from a different background than the traditional White/European American dominant culture. For example, Asian Americans or those of Hispanic or Middle Eastern descent are also often discriminated against by those in the position of authority or by those who fear they are becoming irrelevant, typically White/ European Americans who hold a majority of the power and access to wealth in the United States.

The Effects of Race-Based Trauma

This kind of trauma can manifest in many ways. An individual may feel disconnected from their culture, may have difficulty identifying with groups or cultures they were previously connected to, and have been ripped away from or are from cultures and backgrounds the White/European American majority deem “irrelevant,” “unworthy,” “scary” or “aggressive.” People of Color often experience anxiety when interacting with others from the majority, mainstream White/European American culture due to the level of code-switching required to be “accepted,” which takes a tremendous psychological toll — not to mention the constant barrage of microaggressions experienced. The impacts of this are wide-reaching and ever-present (1).

There are many examples of individual and systemic racism. Below are just some:

• Black adults (24.5% ) are more likely to report stress and worry about the health of family members and loved ones. A more significant percentage of multiracial and non-Hispanic adults of other races/ethnicities reported stress and worry about stigma or discrimination associated with being blamed for spreading COVID-19 (12.9%) than did White (2.4%) or Hispanic (3.7%) adults. (2)

• Following the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S., there were nearly 1,500 reported incidents of anti-Asian racism in just one month. Reports included incidents of physical and verbal attacks and reports of anti-Asian discrimination in private businesses.

• In 2018, 38 percent of Latinx people were verbally attacked for speaking Spanish, were told to “go back to their countries,” called a racial slur, and mistreated by others.

• Over one year, Twitter saw 4.2 million anti-Semitic tweets in just the English language alone. These tweets included anti-Semitic stereotypes, promoting anti-Semitic personalities or media, symbols, slurs, or anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial.

• Black people make up 12 percent of the country’s population but makeup around 33 percent of the total prison population. This overrepresentation reflects racist arrests and policing and racist sentencing practices in the criminal justice system.

• Previous and current racial displacement, exclusion, and segregation policies have left Black communities less likely than whites to own their homes regardless of the level of education, income, location, marital status, and age.

• The erasure of Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) in the “Asian or Pacific Islander” category by U.S. Census data severely restricts access to opportunities in these communities by concealing the unique barriers faced by APIs that are not confronted by East or South Asian communities.

• Historical occupation segregation has made Black people less likely than Whites to hold jobs that offer retirement savings prioritized by the U.S. tax code. This helps create a persistent wealth gap between White and Black communities where the median savings of blacks are, on average, just 21.4 percent of the median savings of whites.

• Lack of cultural competency in therapy training, financial incentives, and geographical isolation have created barriers to providing appropriate mental health resources in Native American communities. As a result, rates of suicide in these communities are 3.5x higher than in racial/ethnic groups with the lowest rates of suicide.

This results from the tenets of White Supremacy— the notion that White/European Americans’ way of being is the gold standard and that everyone else should do their best to “fit in” to this White/European American dominant culture. As a result, Non-European Americans are treated differently than White/European Americans in our society. Whether intentionally or not, people of color are judged for being part of a “different” racial background—and are being analyzed for everything said and done. People of color are expected to live up to this White/ European American way of being… from speaking to doing hair. PoC has been put under a microscope and picked apart and “shown” the “right way” to be from birth (and it could be argued, even before birth).

People of color are constantly being fed this idea of how to be “American” “ modeled after a White/European culture.

When people of color attempt to be themselves, they are often met with anger, resistance, aggression, and gaslighting from those who have historically benefited and enjoyed being part of the dominant, privileged group.

Race-based traumatic stress causes a lot of emotional and physical distress when dealing with such an intense situation over time. When one is constantly barraged and told they are not good enough as they are, when one is scared to leave the house due to ongoing physical attacks aimed towards Black and Brown communities, it is a natural and healthy reaction to pause and be alert. It’s not fair that those who are not White/European Americans have to live with this constant fear.

This is why it’s up to mental health providers to step up and provide direct and unapologetic support and services to these communities who have not only been historically excluded from generational wealth and privileges handed to the dominant culture in America but also those who have also been historically abused and traumatized by this same White/ European American culture.

Black and Brown communities deserve not merely to survive but to thrive. We advocate for and support those impacted by the deep trauma of Racism. Being made to feel like you don’t belong heavily affects one’s quality of life. We encourage those who are part of these communities to find ways to bring the stigma of having to do it all alone and get professional help. No one is meant to do this work alone.

Racial discrimination takes many forms, including racial profiling and other forms of prejudice, violence, and abuse.  Therefore, it's essential to recognize the impact of racial discrimination and oppression on one's own life. To cope with these traumatic and ongoing experiences, it can be helpful to reflect on your perspective and those of others who have experienced similar things. It's also essential to find ways to share your experiences with those struggling with the same issues you face.

The world is a scary place for Communities of Color.

And they are not alone in feeling unsafe or like people are always trying to take advantage of or hurt them. When Black and Brown people in America can’t even get in their cars to drive to the supermarket or go for a jog without the fear of being murdered, that is a severe problem, which causes a highly reasonable and logical trauma response.

The White/European dominant culture is telling Black and Brown people to “move on” and that they are being “overreactive” and often even blatantly try to deny the reality of racism.

The White/European American culture has mastered gaslighting.

But— We are here to tell you, as mental health professionals, this is not the case: What they are experiencing is accurate, and they are entitled to feel all the feelings. And they are worthy.

We hope PoC can find some ways to cope with this kind of Trauma before they find themselves in a place of extreme mental health distress and suffering, including death by suicide. According to the American Academy of Adolescent Psychiatry, “early adolescent Black youth are twice as likely to die by suicide as compared to their white counterparts” (2). If you are a Person of Color, please know help is available. We are here to support you.

Here are some ways you can start to offload some of the pain and trauma caused by experiencing Racism:

1. Talk about and explore the feelings that come up when you experience Racism and discrimination. Don’t just ignore it or stuff it. You are worthy and deserve to explore all the emotions you house. Doing this can help you. If you don’t have one already, please get a journal or a place to record yourself talking about what is coming up for you. Get it out! Please don’t hold it in. Some questions to get you started could be: Where did you find Racism in your life today? What was the message sent to you, both consciously and unconsciously? How did you internalize it? Dig deeper. What did it feel like to experience that? What were the emotions associated with the experience? How did you express this outwardly, inwardly? What did you do? Keep going… Let yourself process this. You can’t hold it all in and stay healthy. A huge part of living in an oppressive system is finding ways to release, release, release.

2. Connect with others experiencing the same or similar thing as you. Thankfully, more and more people are identifying and speaking up about the impacts of Racism and finding safe spaces to unpack these feelings outside the purview of White/European Americans. You deserve to have a space to unpack your daily experiences of Racism. As you know, it’s always exhausting to deal with this with no end in sight. So find others, and join the community. You are not alone!

This kind of trauma is a real thing. It's not something that's made up, and it can’t be dismissed as "just politics." We are here to validate your feelings and experiences and provide space to be you and speak your truth. Racism is brutal, and its impacts of it are devastating.

Phoenix Rising Centers is here to provide culturally appropriate counseling services for those affected by Racism and other social injustices. Join us for our small group trauma processing groups about this kind of trauma and healing in your life. Our groups discuss ways to regulate emotion, find support in relationships and strengthen the community.

Below are some more resources. Remember! Be kind to yourself.

Project Let’s Resources on Race & Mental Health
Racial Trauma Toolkit
Black Muslim Community Trauma Toolkit
Self-Care Toolkit for Undocumented Communities
Asian Mental Health Project
The Brown Girl Therapy Newsletter 
Therapy for Black Girls Thrive Tribe Facebook Group
We R Native

Directories for QPOC

Therapy for QPOC
QTPOC Mental Health Practitioner Directory

Directories for Latinx

Therapy for Latinx
Latinx Therapy

Directories for Black People

Therapy for Black Girls
Therapy for Black Men
Association of Black Psychologists

Directories for Asian People

Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Therapist Directory
South Asian Mental Health Initiative Network 
Therapy for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Directories for Indigenous People

Indian Health Service Directory

General Multicultural & Religious Directories

Inclusive Therapists
Psychology Today
Melanin & Mental Health
Sukhi
Zencare
Institute for Muslim Mental Health 
National Jewish Health

Resource:

1. Harvard Business Review — The Costs of Code-Switching. 2019.

2. Center for Disease and Control: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Stress and Worry, Mental Health Conditions, and Increased Substance Use Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, April, and May 2020

3. American Academy of Adolescent Psychiatry — AACAP Policy Statement on Increased Suicide Among Black Youth in the U.S. Approved by Council March 2022.