Sunday, April 28, 2013
The Weakening of the African American Female Via Counseling
It is essential for African Americans to be counseled by a clinician that can understand the impact of the multigenerational issues that have come from years of slavery. It's not necessary that the clinician be of African descent but definitely someone who recognizes the trauma that came from these events plus what has re-traumatized the person. This is especially true with women because in addition to being raped, beaten, and tortured in general, we have also had to endure the responsibilities of oftentimes being the sole parent in a single parent home because of the removal of our men via the slave trade and now via imprisonment for profit. My main question is: Has anything changed except the dates and if not, what are we doing to make the changes needed so that we may acculturate versus being assimiliated into the same savage culture that has not ever changed. But back to the topic at hand.
I am no stranger to abuses by the systems because I was raped and beaten by an abusive and racist cop. I know what it feels like to be touched and pushed and shoved and to be called niggers and bitches with no discretion or filter. I also am no stranger to therapy as I am a clinician and am also a client. I go to counseling to try and repair the damage that has been done to my psyche but I realized that there is no way to ever complete the process if the trauma that is so deep rooted is not dealt with as well. Being of African descent, our race is no stranger to be called niggers and bitches, so coming from a community that is already plagued with multigenerational issues and then being re-traumatized by sexual and physical assault only adds fuel to the fire. To top it off, what was a normal practice in the past continues to plague our communities because it is still considered to be the norm even to this day. Many of the old practices still exist including terrorizing the women who step forward to tell of an assault. This further enhances the feelings of lack of self-worth and negative cognition's of self.
The thing that is most prominent is the process of therapy itself. We are encouraged to get in touch with our emotions which oftentimes leaves one wide open and causes more anxiety and depression in addition to the possible affects of post traumatic stress disorder. I can speak for myself when saying that any and all wounds are wide open, you might say that they are gaping wounds. I cry at the drop of a hat and don't have a problem expressing myself sometimes to my own detriment. This process does not allow me to close wounds but instead has me wearing my heart on my sleeve. It is no secret that those who wear their hearts on their sleeves are oftentimes prime targets for further abuse. There are a lot of people who are just dirty and that has come through acclimation into a society that is so cold and heartless. I like to call it monkey see, monkey do or the herd mentality! I sometimes have anxiety attacks when coming into contact with others and then I either remain silent or try to talk myself out of the attack, usually by saying too much. This is also followed by uncontrolled shaking/quaking. Just be aware that with the terminology of ptsd comes the stigma of mental illness. People try to speak with you differently or at you like you are different and sometimes even thinking you are stupid. If you react angrily, then you are having an episode. I say to hell with that, just stay out of my face with the bs. Think I'm crazy because you continue on with your malicious intent; then keep it up? I don't know but just being me, I would never mess with anyone that I thought was crazy. And far worse, you have your junior clinicians in blue uniforms who would rather shoot and kill you or take you to a mental ward for pain that they have inflicted. Even cops of color are oftentimes the most abusive. Is is to fit in or just because they are so damaged that they use that blue uniform to take their frustrations out on the public by being abusive and quite frequently deadly. EXACTLY WHO NEEDS TREATMENT?
Does having counseling after a traumatic experience expose you to a higher probability of over exposing your emotions? Yes, I believe so. It oftentimes does cause you to experience more emotions because of the processing of the trauma within therapy. We are encouraged to express ourselves and hone into what we are truly feeling. Thus causing many to be hypersensitive and to wear our emotions on our sleeves. This is not to say that seeking therapy is not an effective way to try and resolve the symptoms being had from a traumatic experience but I am more saying that you must do your research and have a therapist that is understanding and willing to adjust their style to accommodate your living lifestyle. If you are exposed to harsh realities, then you cannot be overly sensitive because the population, or the systems will eat you alive. I can attest to this because I pretty much stick to myself to avoid being abused verbally and physically and then being told that they are going to call the police or actually do call the police to terrorize me.....FOLKS, THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME RIGHT NOW BUT I WON'T CONSIDER MYSELF A VICTIM....I CONSIDER MYSELF A SURVIVOR.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
