![]() My own parents arrived in the UK during the ‘60s to “No Blacks, No dogs, No Irish” signs, and there are many more stories, members from that generation and before, can recite. When it comes to racism, whether it be systemic, individual or internalised, it can influence psychological and social trauma passed down from previous generations. Psychotherapists generally acknowledge that a client may have a reaction to recent events which have roots in the past. Medication may treat symptoms associated with mental illness but the absence of a talking therapy leaves underlying issues unaddressed. This highlighted that Black British people were four times more likely to be sectioned than white people and just as alarmingly, more likely to be administered a psychoactive medication instead of a talking therapy. If we look at the independent review of the UK’s Mental Health Act in 2018, “profound inequalities” were found to exist. With psychotherapeutic interventions, research shows that a Black client’s lived experience regarding racism and the trauma associated with it – racial trauma - can be misinterpreted by a therapist and can lead to dangerous misdiagnoses. ‘ Microaggressions are a clinically relevant factor in understanding mental health problems.’ It has also been described as ‘the new face of racism’. Described as ‘A statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalised group such as a racial or ethnic minority.’ For example, to be constantly told ‘you have good English’ when England is your place of birth, to being followed around a shop on the assumption of being a criminal (this has happened to me on numerous occasions). Microaggressions can also be very damaging both in the outside world and inside the therapist’s consulting room. It is composed of co-dependent racist institutions, policies, practices, ideas, and behaviours that give an unjust resources, rights, and power to white people’ – at the same time denying them to Black people. Systemic racism affirms that ‘racism is embedded in all social institutions, structures, and social relations. For a complete understanding of racism, we also need to look at the term ‘systemic racism’, developed by Joe Feagin. ![]() Individual racism is insidious, unconsciously shaping belief systems, attitudes and ultimately decisions. Internalised racism lies within individuals and private beliefs and biases, including: prejudice towards others of a different race and internalised privilege - beliefs about superiority or entitlement. ![]() ![]() They’d had to live with racial inequalities and injustices every day of their life, regardless of whether racism had made the news that week or not. And now with it suddenly thrust into the public sphere, with hours of debate and online discussions, this public acceptance of their reality, simply allowed feelings to re-surface such as powerlessness, anxiety, anger and intense bouts of exhaustion. Black people were used to enduring a silent pain in order to simply ‘live’ - whether this meant having to endure ‘well meaning’ racist jokes, microaggressions or being denied opportunities based on the colour of their skin. Yet, before this worldwide acceptance, there’d always been a problem. ![]() Whether it be the Black Lives Matter protests, tearing down statues of slave traders, or the vicious racial abuse of three footballers who missed penalties during the Euros, the issue of racism has more recently become embedded in the nation’s consciousness. The last 18 months may have shone a global spotlight on the COVID-19 pandemic, but the ‘topic’ of racism wasn’t far behind. My role as a psychotherapist and historical fiction author means I get to write about racism in a historical context, whilst seeing first-hand how it can affect us in the present day. Psychotherapist and author Lola Jaye explains that although the issue of racism is more embedded in society’s consciousness, the effects of historical and systemic racism are still having far-reaching effects on the mental health of Black people. ![]()
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