What happens when we integrate an understanding of oppression into our trauma work?

Naming the reality of systemic oppression can be deeply validating for our clients, especially when it’s been ignored by other providers. Many mental health and wellness providers avoid bringing oppression into the conversation with clients because they’re afraid they’ll be expected to know things they don’t know. Or that they’ll be implicated as part of the problem and not know what to do about it.

I’m here to tell you that you can start where you are. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to know how to fix it. You can start by acknowledging that oppression exists and then get curious about its impact. When we do this, we create an opening for our clients to share our curiosity about how oppression has shaped them.

We invite our clients to consider a fuller picture of their lives, their challenges and their resources. We invite them to shift the focus from “what’s wrong” with them to a focus on what they need to live into the fullest expression of themselves.

This shift in focus can be a breath of fresh air for both the provider and the client, opening up new sources of resilience. When we think our problems are only our problems, we can only rely on ourselves to fix them. But when we open ourselves to the realities of the collective, we gain access to the resources of community, connection, and relationship that we need to help us heal.

As providers, when we shift from a narrow focus on our individual client to include the experiences of the collective, we free ourselves from unhelpful narratives about rescuing and fixing “broken” people. When we shift our focus to include the collective, we can view our work as part of a movement for healing and liberation. And through our work, we become co-conspirators in that movement for healing and liberation.

Doesn’t that sound better than how you’ve been trained to think about trauma work?

I’d love to connect you with some co-conspirators. Check out my current courses and groups to see if there’s a good fit..

P.S. This is another one that has more juice on Instagram. Check out the post here.