The Trauma of 1/6/21

This has been a painful week for our country and many of us as citizens.  I have struggled to understand what is happening, why it is happening, to feel my feelings, and process it all.  There has been a range of emotions and thoughts, but what has been stirring most strongly in me is a deep sadness.  Sadness for the country I love and witnessing the desecration of what most of us thought was sacred.  Sadness for the hatred and insurrection on display by a mob of mostly white Americans.  Sadness for our black and brown brothers and sisters who had to see obvious symbols of hatred, and the double standards of those who are supposed to serve and protect all of us.  I feel sad and bewildered that there are so many hurting and angry people in this country who have turned to a man who is so badly flawed to lead them to some imagined promised land for there own kind.  I feel sad that so many of us still use and abuse religion to justify acts of discrimination, exclusion, and violence. 

There is also a pervasive feeling of fatigue in the air and in my soul.  This crisis in Washington is only the latest in a series of events that portrayed hatred, divisiveness, and violence this year.  And it is all happening within the context of a pandemic that has taken a huge toll on individuals, families, our economy, and the world.  At least with the pandemic there is a virus we can identify as our common and external enemy, and yet we have managed to politicize this too and point fingers at one another.  It has been a hard year, but the problems run much deeper than 2020 or any politic party or individual.  Perhaps in this outrageous moment in our history we can stop and look in the mirror. 

Like most of us, I have been reading, reflecting, praying, meditating, talking with people, listening, thinking, and searching for ways to make sense of it all and to respond somehow.  One perspective that has been helpful is the insights of those who study historical and collective trauma.   Consider the words of Thomas Hubl, who is an author, an international spiritual teacher, and a contemporary mystic: “From a mystical perspective, every systemic and seemingly intractable social problem, regardless where it plays out in the world, springs from the same source:  humanity’s deep social, historical, cultural, and multigenerational trauma – our unhealed and unresolved past.”  Trauma is a word that refers to wounds or injuries, whether individual or collective, from a particular event or from the cumulative effect of ongoing smaller assaults to one’s well-being.  The manual for Transforming Historical Harms, which details a restorative justice approach, refers to trauma as “the set of reactions and responses to an event or circumstance that was experienced as overwhelming.” “This sense of being overwhelmed has biological, emotional, behavioral, spiritual and even societal consequences, which can remain if not healed.”

When we see confederate flags being raised at the capital, see the symbols of extremist white supremacy groups, and listen to the words of hostility and arrogance spoken during this insurrection, it is clear we are witnessing the symptoms of unresolved historical trauma going all the way back at least as far as the civil war in this country.  We do not usually think about the trauma for those who fought and lost the civil war and how their social and economic status dramatically changed, but it is evident that many have deep, unresolved, multi-generational wounds, whether they are aware of them or not.  So, in addition to holding people accountable for what transpired, it is critical to find our way forward and bring healing to our nation.  Think about these words from the Gospel of Thomas: “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.  If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”  This points to what is required for the healing of trauma, whether current or historical, individual, or collective.  The Transforming Historical Harms framework outlines a process for healing:

• Facing the historical facts and circumstances that initiated the historical trauma.
• Making connections by reaching out, listening, and developing relationships across groups divided by historical trauma and harms.
• Healing wounds through acknowledging, discussing, letting go, and making right the harms to mind, body, and spirit.
• Taking action to change the beliefs, systems, and structures that perpetuate trauma.

Healing and resolving trauma can be a complex process that is a journey over time, and only works when people are ready and willing to engage in the process.  In my experience as a therapist, resolving past harms involves a similar process of confronting our wounds, being present to our feelings, responding to our internal pain with love, and finding compassion and forgiveness towards those who have harmed us.  It is my hope that the shocking tragedy of this day in our history will spur a shift in consciousness and open a window of opportunity to do the work of healing.  In the end it may not really be so complicated.  As it says in Romans 12:10: “Love one another with brotherly love.  Outdo one another in showing honor.”  We can hope.