The Place We Find Ourselves 106 Racial Trauma: What's Going On? Part 1
Feb 14, 2022
Wendell Moss, a mental health therapist and instructor at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, dives deep into the complex topic of racial trauma. He shares his journey, emphasizing how storytelling can transform shame into freedom. The conversation reveals the generational impact of racism, highlighting how trauma is passed down through bodies. Wendell stresses the necessity of honestly naming these wounds as a critical step towards healing and fostering meaningful conversations across racial divides.
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Shame Broken By Being Held
- Wendell describes entering grad school and, for the first time, vulnerably telling his shame-filled story in practicum.
- He found faces that stayed with him, which made him feel bearable and began releasing long-held shame.
Racial Talk Triggers Bodily Risk Responses
- Wendell says his body reacts with tension and sweat when discussing racial trauma because the stories and memory of risk surface.
- He also expects accusation and chooses when to speak because public responses often demand people "get over it."
Collective Trauma Embeds In The Body
- Wendell compares individual trauma's lifetime effect to 450 years of collective racial trauma embedding into a nation's body.
- He argues such widespread, repeated humiliation and violence inevitably mark us intergenerationally and biologically.
