Trauma, Shame, and Racism
Presenters: Heather Hall, MD (Sacramento), and Richard Chefetz, MD (Washington, DC)
Discussants: Cleonie White, PhD (New York, NY), Schwanna Cockerham-Qualls, LPC (Washington, DC)
Moderators: Janice Berry-Edwards, PhD, LICSW, BCD (Washington, DC), Raquel Willerman, LICSW, PhD
Date: April 12, 2024
Time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST
Location: Zoom Online
Approved for 7 hours of CE/CME
As we explore trauma, racism, and the shame spectrum of experience, including humiliation and contempt, the presenters hope to shift our consciousness in the direction of providing clinicians and their patients unrealized pathways for exploration of emotionally overwhelming material, often too painful for immediate access.
Clinical case material using the literary character Pecola in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye (Chefetz), and a case of internal racism in a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) in a person of color with white alter personalities (Hall), will bring to life the underlying dynamics of racism. With small group and large group experiences and ample opportunity for discussion with participants in this online program, the team is looking forward to an energized and engaged venue.
Casework that explores racism is relatively unusual. Linking racism, shame, and trauma is essential to our understanding of racism. Exceedingly painful experience is ripe territory for the activation of dissociative processes. These focal points provide an entrance to an exploration of dyadic, familial, social, and societal factors as they impact an individual's trajectory and may be required understanding in order to allow for personal growth and healing. Most of our clinical training is about dyadic work. Racism involves much more than the dyad.
You don’t need to know much about DID to understand the case material. Those clinicians familiar with work in the dissociative disorders will immediately recognize the kind of “internal othering” that occurs in what has been called the pseudo-delusion of separateness, a blinding denial of ownership of the states of being (not-me experience) associated with intolerable emotional experience. In the exploration of the life of Pecola, the concept of the Social Not-me will be developed and explored, an explication of potential use of dissociative process in the generation and maintenance of racist attitudes and perspectives.
Our moderators have been primed to be active participants in our program. Each are accomplished clinicians. We are looking forward to our interactions as a Team, but, most importantly, we have provided participants with a frame for engagement that is up front and personal. By attending to the dignity of all of us in this venue we hope to create and maintain a sense of safety that will allow deeper exploration of issues and concerns. These are expected to blossom in small group and plenary sessions. We are looking forward to learning with you.
Click here for more conference information.
Registration closes at noon EDST, April 11th, 2024.
