Healing from Racial Trauma—Where Do I Start?

Racial trauma is real. It’s the emotional and psychological toll of experiencing racism, microaggressions, discrimination, and generational injustice. It can result from single events—or from a lifetime of experiences.

What Racial Trauma Can Feel Like

• Hypervigilance or fear in public spaces

• Numbness or dissociation after microaggressions

• Anger that feels overwhelming or difficult to express

• Shame or self-doubt tied to internalized messages

• Physical symptoms like headaches, fatigue, or tension

You don’t have to justify this pain. You don’t have to minimize it. You deserve to name it—and begin to heal it.

Grounding Techniques for Racial Trauma

• Breath + Sensation Reset: Take three deep breaths, then slowly press your feet into the floor and place one hand over your heart. Gently name one thing you feel physically, one emotion you're holding, and one kind thing you can say to yourself in this moment.

• Cultural rituals: Music, prayer, dance, storytelling, food—engaging with ancestral traditions can offer deep emotional nourishment

• Movement: Walking, stretching, or dancing to release stress from the body

• Journaling: Writing down your truth without censoring can be liberating and clarifying

How Therapy Helps

A culturally responsive therapist can:

• Help you process racialized experiences without minimizing your reality

• Affirm your anger, grief, and exhaustion as valid

• Help you name and interrupt internalized oppression

• Guide you toward restoring agency and dignity

Healing from racial trauma is not a straight line. But it is possible. And you don’t have to navigate it alone. At ReAlign Wellness Group, we honor your lived experience and support your right to thrive—not just survive.