Restorative Steps for Healing through Racial Trauma, Systemic Mis-attunement, and Grief

The past few weeks have given the world a glimpse inside the continuous reality of the existence of Black women and men in this country. It has allowed other groups to fathom racism’s impact on the minds and nervous systems of strangers, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members who reside in Black bodies. By default, it can be said that when Black, the nervous system remains in a constant sympathetic state of fight or flight. To remain in existence while Black, one must constantly pick up on triggering environmental cues and somatic signals that help guide us along routes focused solely on survival. Yet for Blacks, the sympathetic state, while effective at influencing critical decision-making and behavioral responses, is also a reminder of the absence of ease and safety. This absence of ease and safety highlights a form of complex trauma which can be defined as systemic mis-attunement. Racial trauma is a result of pervasive exposure to prejudice and discrimination as a direct result of one’s skin color. Systemic mis-attunement is the direct result of society’s recurrent act of being dismissive and uncaring as to the basic physiological, emotional, psychological, and social needs of People of Color (i.e., Black people). The complex racial trauma lies in the constant exposure of mis-attunement that is often experienced by Blacks from birth. After all, Black newborns are “three times more likely to experience health complications or die within their first ye...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Racism Self-Help Stress Trauma George Floyd Prejudice racial justice racial trauma Source Type: blogs