Healing the Wounds of Racial Trauma

The road to resilience is long but not impossible. Survivors of racial trauma must practice self-care to preserve their holistic well-being.

“出去安全嗎?” / “Is it safe to go outside?” I whisper in Taishanese (台山話) to my mother, a Chinese American immigrant who has lived in the States longer than her homeland.

“對於我們來說，不能保證我們的安全。我們是華裔美國人，但在他們眼中，我們只是中國人。我們不能要害怕過自己的生活。” / “It’ll never be completely safe for us. We are Chinese American, but in their eyes we are just Chinese. We can’t be afraid to live our lives,” my mother somberly says to me.

My lived experience as a first-generation Chinese American woman is a microcosm of trauma that has been passed down for generations. Long excluded from American life, marked as perpetual foreigners, and constantly asked where we’re really from, Asian migrants and their descendants have sought to make this country their home. This country’s troubled past is a constant reminder that systemic racism is a lived reality for nonwhite bodies. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the 150 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, Asian Americans, like many other ethnic groups, have endured a multitude of injustices. These horrific experiences have created incalculable trauma, not just for Asian Americans but for all people of color who have experienced some form of discrimination.

Systemic racism — experienced directly or indirectly — can have pervasive effects on an individual’s mental health. Studies have shown that race-based stress is strongly associated with increased instances of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans. Racism is a traumatic experience, as unwarranted feelings of anxiety, depression, and anger manifest, which can even persist across generations. This concept is more commonly known as racial trauma.

The destructive effects of racial trauma have contributed to a mental health crisis, unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Nearly nine million Americans (four million Hispanic people, four million Black people, and one million Asian people) will be affected by post-traumatic stress in their lifetime, according to one study. This mental health crisis equates to one in seven people of color who suffer from PTSD in the United States. Though people of color may be more at risk for poor mental health, many do not seek professional help due to culturally-based attitudes around mental illness.

Stigmas associated with mental illness perpetuate the cycle of racial trauma among marginalized communities. Let’s look at Asian Americans, who traditionally view mental illness as a taboo subject, as a case study. If an Asian parent neglects their symptoms of racial trauma, they are more likely to pass down learned beliefs onto their children, like the fear of being attacked for their physical appearance. Therefore, people that do not resolve their inner conflicts may inadvertently perpetuate the trauma for generations to come.

There are no simple treatments, but there are some steps people can take to move toward inner peace. One of the first steps psychologists and social activists recommend is to practice holistic self-care.

Social justice activist Audre Lorde has written about how self-care is an act of resistance. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare,” she writes in A Burst of Light.

Lorde’s profound message focuses on the audacity to put ourselves first. To say, “I matter.” To recognize that we can’t completely control the events shaping our world, but we can, to some extent, govern and direct our own lives. This message is especially poignant for communities of color who practice collectivism, that is, prioritizing the needs of the group over the needs of each individual. For many people of color, individuals tend to put the welfare of their families above their own. Selflessness is an integral pillar in collectivism; however, its foundation becomes lethal to our self-preservation.

Rest, recovery, and restoration are essential to doing the hard work of social change. By refueling depleted energy, we are better equipped to identify, acknowledge, and reflect on grievances. We inch toward resilience and establish our self-worth. We begin to express and validate our feelings by sharing personal anecdotes with our friends and communities. Sharing the collective burden with loved ones will not only support your healing process but will also help theirs as well.

In practical terms, caring for oneself doesn’t always mean taking a bubble bath or getting a deep-tissue massage. Self-care looks different for everyone, so practice a few techniques and see what works best for you. Seeking the advice of a mental health professional, going on a walk, video-calling your loved ones, and limiting your time on social media all qualify as self-care. Quality sleep is critical for recovery too. Whether healing individually or with others, the key is to minimize external forces from affecting your well-being. What matters is that you engage in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle to offset the effects of race-based stressors.

Make no mistake: self-care is not a panacea for justice and accountability. Systemic equality will require collective action and substantive change so that every individual — regardless of race, gender, and income — can achieve their greatest potential. People who experience racial trauma, however, cannot wait until structural change occurs to care for themselves.

For those that bear the emotional burdens induced by racial oppression, survival is just not enough. As a survivor of racial trauma, self-care allows me to live fully. Love deeply. Nourish intently. Like my mother eloquently said, “We can’t be afraid to live our lives.” She’s right. We must not let trauma define who we are. We deserve self-love. By caring for ourselves, we are on the path to healing.

If you are able, please consider donating to the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund, a nonprofit, nonpartisan fiscally sponsored project of NEO Philanthropy dedicated to preventing hate crimes against Asian Americans.