Racial Trauma, Neurons, and EMDR: The Path Towards an Anti-Racist Psychotherapy

Although race is a social construction, it carries great significance and dire consequences in our North American culture. This presentation will explore how Anti-Black racism, racial trauma, and White Supremacy can impact psychotherapy. Using Young’s Five Faces of Oppression model, we will discuss how Anti-Black racism affects clients and therapists. In addition to discussing how systemic racism impacts service delivery, we will also explore the impact that Anti-Black racial microaggressions can have on the nervous system (e.g. allostatic load) of our clients. Recommendations for conducting EMDR from an Anti-Racist perspective will be discussed and encouraged. Case examples will be provided.