From post-traumatic slave syndrome to post-traumatic growth The narrative is changing

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I just learned about a theory that is going to give us a whole new perspective on African mental health.

First, lets deal with the ideas that we as a community have surrounding mental health, and mental health challenges. There is that stigma that persists, and for some, their belief systems lead them to think that praying will some how deal with these challenges. Some people can’t even bring themselves to simply acknowledge the value of a mental health check-up.

Now, this is no knock on spirituality. In many ways, spirituality is helpful. The thing is, we as a community have to dig to the depths of our current challenges. We have to first educate ourselves on what has brought us to this point and work from there. First stop, post-traumatic slave disorder/syndrome.

There are a large number of Africans living in the Diaspora who are descendants of slavery. During slavery, the African people had to deal with a considerable amount of physical, psychological and emotional abuse. When the 400 years ended, and modern-day slavery commenced, Africans were not offered counselling or therapy. They were expected to go on with their lives as if they had not been witness to the atrocities or suffering of their people.

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, written by Dr. Joy Degruy Leary gives specific details on how this has manifested in communities across the Diaspora. On page 118, Dr. Degruy Leary provides a list of some conditions, which give rise to mental and/or emotional traumas that justify the diagnosis of PTSD:

• A serious threat or harm to one’s life or physical integrity
• A threat or harm to one’s children, spouse or close relative
• Sudden destruction of one’s home or community
• Seeing another person injured or killed as a result of accident or physical violence
• Learning about a serious threat to a relative or a close friend being kidnapped, tortured or killed
• Stressor is experienced with intense fear, terror and helplessness
• Stressor and disorder is considered to be more serious and will last longer when the stressor is of human design

Hmmm! Rings true with the historical accounts that we have heard about the treatment of African slaves during the colonization.

Now, I would like for you to take a look at some of the symptoms of PTSD:

• Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the trauma event
• Physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues
• Marked diminished interest or participation in significant activities
• Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
• Restricted range of affect (the inability to display feelings or emotions)
• Sense of foreshortened future (in other words, does not expect to have a career, marriage, children or normal life span)
• Difficulty falling or staying sleep
• Irritability or outbursts of anger
• Difficulty concentrating

(American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (4^th edition). Washington, D.C.)

There is so much that can be said about PTSS (PTSD), and if you would like some more information, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I am also going to provide you with a new community resource.

I was introduced to Alice Wiafe, M.A RP. Psy (D) Can, Founder of Black Mental Health Canada Inc (www.blackmentalhealth.ca). Alice holds a Master’s degree in counselling psychology from Adler School of Professional Psychology and is completing her doctorate in Psychology from Ryokan College. According to Alice one of the most fulfilling aspects of being a therapist is the opportunity to connect with real people, dealing with real problems.

Her experience with her own son aids her in recognizing the need for mental health development. “The answer to tackling mental health is to work with African children and teenagers,” Alice explains. “Fortunately, the topic of mental health for teens has become a relevant topic. Education is key.

 Normalizing African mental health will help the majority of people who are silently suffering with undiagnosed mental health challenges. The goal is for people to check-in regularly on their mental health, in the same way as most people do with their physical well-being.”

I am excited.

Are you ready for the new theory?

The Post-Traumatic Growth Research Group at UNC Charlotte (https://ptgi.uncc.edu/), have coined a new phrase called post-traumatic growth.

Post-traumatic growth is defined as “a positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with a major life crisis or traumatic event.”

Although the term might be new, the idea is not new. On the website, they point out the fact that sometimes people who face major life crises develop a sense that new opportunities have emerged from the struggle, opening up possibilities that were not present before. The theory is that trauma can bring about an increased sense of one’s own strength.

It is a unique challenge. African people are not a monolith. We may all be racially the same in a sense, but culturally we have hundreds of different sub-cultures within the larger African community. Where some might be open to the idea of receiving mental health support others are not.

The best part about this is that there is hope. Hope allows people to approach problems with a mind-set that is suitable for success. This increases the chances they will actually accomplish their goals. Resources are growing, and mental health has moved up in the list of important topics in our community. We are on our way to post-traumatic growth.