Nana's Commentary:
I remember thinking
to myself, back in 1990; "I wonder what has happened to Black Folks as a
result of Slavery?" It was like an epiphany, as I can actually remember
where I was sitting when it occurred to me.
However, it seemed that talking about PTSD in the clinical sense was didactic, linear and devoid of inference beyond the obvious. That is, a person caught in a war zone, a person who experienced a car accident, physical/emotional abuse or the death of a loved one. We knew that it would affect them in so many ways and we often called in "Adjustment Disorder". Then we moved on to figure out strategies for healing and getting these "individuals" to a healthier mindset and that feeling of "safety" again.
I always wanted to
research it, or see what others have done in that line of research. I am so
grateful to Dr. DeGruy Leary who has done the grunt work on this topic. I am sure it
can be developed even beyond the book she wrote, and perhaps others will look
into it. She also has a lot of courage to even broach this subject. In my
ignorance it seemed to only make sense that the impact of our past would affect
our future, but the cognitive dissonance will not allow many on both sides of
the aisle to see it, accept it or do anything about it. So I must commend her
bravery to even take the time, resources and brain work to put this thought
together so eloquently.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Post_Traumatic_Slave_Syndrome.html?id=dyHWMwEACAAJ&source=kp_cover&hl=en
I remember thinking
to myself, back in 1990; "I wonder what has happened to Black Folks as a
result of Slavery?" It was like an epiphany, as I can actually remember
where I was sitting when it occurred to me.
I had just entered
the field of mental health having started off in Sociology. Somehow, life lead
me to the field of Mental Health and particularly as a result of wanting to use
Cultural Enrichment as a way for healing and benefiting Black folks who have so
many odds stacked against them as it were.
I couldn't help but
notice the parallels, from denial to over achievement to resilience to secrecy
and a host of other conditions, outcomes and variables that plague our
community as well as offer some real life stories of survival even in the most
hostile of environments. We still managed to work, have families, raise our
children, get an education, despite the trauma we received.
However, it seemed that talking about PTSD in the clinical sense was didactic, linear and devoid of inference beyond the obvious. That is, a person caught in a war zone, a person who experienced a car accident, physical/emotional abuse or the death of a loved one. We knew that it would affect them in so many ways and we often called in "Adjustment Disorder". Then we moved on to figure out strategies for healing and getting these "individuals" to a healthier mindset and that feeling of "safety" again.
As these thoughts
swirled around in my mind and I began to seriously wonder if we may be
suffering from trauma that was inflicted upon our foreparents and if in fact,
the genetic memory has been imprinted on our DNA. It has been discovered that
various events can be imprinted on our DNA so how about some shock?
I remember attending
seminars where it was presented that our bodies remember our trauma long after
the traumatic event had passed. Being a dreamer and one who interpreted dreams,
I knew that our subconscious, or that place where dreams lie, would also bring
up disturbing and/or traumatic events in various dream images.
It all began to make
sense to me that surely, African people in the Americas, and perhaps the entire
Diaspora; who were captured and imprisoned on slaved ships and brought to a
foreign land, most certainly have suffered serious trauma along with transmitting
that trauma to generations that followed. And as Dr. DeGruy Leary explains the
trauma didn't stop after they were brought here, nor did it stop after they
were released from chattel slavery, it continued, and continues to this day.
Much of it is insidious and below the surface but it continues in the form of
police brutality, poverty, poor educational systems, dilapidated neighborhoods,
erroneous depiction of our youth in the media, etc., etc., etc.
She, along with Dr.
Frances Kress-Welsing, in my estimation, have capture two of the most profound
aspects of our history post Trans-Atlantic slave trade. When you couple White Supremacy with Post
Traumatic Slave Syndrome you can pretty much sum up the African experience in
the Americas and throughout the Diaspora where racism is an integral part of
the society where its impact can be seen in politics, education, religion,
entertainment, historical analysis, health care, economics and the general
welfare.
Below you will find
a video playlist of some of Dr. DeGruy Leary's talks on Post Traumatic Slave
Syndrome.
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome
Post Traumatic Slave
Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (PTSS) is a 2005 book resulting from
years of historical and psychological research by Joy DeGruy (formerly Leary)[1] PTSS describes a set of behaviors,
beliefs and actions associated with or, related to multi-generational traumaexperienced by African Americans that
include but are not limited to undiagnosed and untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in enslaved Africans and
their descendants.[1]
PTSS posits that centuries of slavery in
the United States, followed by systemic and structural racism and oppression,
including lynching, Jim Crow laws, and unwarranted mass incarceration, have
resulted in multigenerational maladaptive behaviors, which originated as
survival strategies. The syndrome continues because children whose parents
suffer from PTSS are often indoctrinated into the same behaviors, long after
the behaviors have lost their contextual effectiveness.
DeGruy
states that PTSS is not a disorder that can simply be treated and remedied
clinically but rather also requires profound social change in individuals, as
well as in institutions that continue to reify inequality and injustice toward
the descendants of enslaved Africans.
DeGruy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in
Communication, a Master's Degree in Social Work, a Master's Degree in Clinical
Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Social Work Research. She teaches social work
at Portland
State University and gives lectures on
PTSS nationally and internationally.
Do You Have Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome?
Pasted
from <http://www.ebony.com/wellness-empowerment/do-you-have-post-traumatic-slave-syndrome#axzz45G8KwTBb>
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome
Dr.
Joy DeGruy Leary talks about her provocative new book
Pasted
from <http://inthesetimes.com/article/2523>
Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary- Post Traumatic Slave
Syndrome (1/19)
Watch: Dr. Joy DeGruy Gives Stunning Lecture on "Post
Traumatic Slave Syndrome"
Pasted
from <http://shine.forharriet.com/2014/04/watch-dr-joyce-degruy-gives-stunning.html#axzz45GEsdPyg>
Pasted
from <http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/afrikan-reflections/7620-post-traumatic-slave-syndrome-theory.html>
Post-traumatic slavery syndrome
African-Americans
are killing themselves at an unprecedented rate. In "Lay My Burden
Down" Alvin Poussaint and Amy Alexander try to explain why.
Pasted
from <http://www.salon.com/2000/10/24/suicide_9/>
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Thanks for your comment. Peace, NB