Here’s How To Cope After Seeing Something Awful On Camera

4 Ways to recover.

A couple sitting on a couch look at their laptop and are in shock at what is being shown. Picture: Getty Images

Despite heightened awareness, Black Lives Matter, multiple marches, protests and even Derek Chauvin’s conviction, scores of Black people still died in the year after George Floyd’s death at the brutal hands of reckless, misguided police officers and other hate-motivated people.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations reports that anti-Black crimes continue to be the single largest category of hate crime incidents. The latest information is for 2019, but with more people emerging from Covid-19’s cover post-vaccine, it’s reasonable to think that the number and intensity of hate crimes and so-called ‘casual racism” attacks against people of color could escalate.

Experiencing racial trauma is an unfortunate reality and part and parcel of our existence. And while the phrase “racial trauma” is a relatively recent term, it’s a condition many Black people have felt collectively as a race even when we couldn’t put it into words.

A week after Floyd’s death, I nervously found the courage to view the video of his death, and then I never watched it again.

The American Psychological Association states that racial trauma refers to people of color and indigenous individuals’ reactions to dangerous events and real or perceived experiences of racial discrimination. Although similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, racial trauma differs in that it involves ongoing individual and collective injuries caused by exposure and re-exposure to race-based stress.

A week after Floyd’s death, I nervously found the courage to view the video of his death, and then I never watched it again. The mere thought of those images, compounded by other murder victims before him, spark grief-filled tears mixed with anger. I can’t unsee all that that incident embodied about being Black in America. It represented an unspoken knowing among people of color about the social injustices they battle daily.

Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, devoid of emotion until Floyd took his final breath, changed me. The Floyd family’s $27 million settlement and Chauvin’s conviction offers some justice but doesn’t erase the psychological pain of seeing that death.

“Research has found that when these killings occur, Black people are more likely to report increased mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, and symptoms of PTSD,” says Erlanger Turner, Ph.D., psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at Pepperdine University. Turner, who also specializes in multicultural issues, notes his research shows that racially-induced stress can occur in as little as three minutes of watching traumatic images.

The effects of recurring traumatic images and messaging are compounded by longstanding, systemic racism toward people of color. This, in part, makes it nearly impossible for Black people to just “shake off” seeing people who look like them killed and “move on.” We know there will be another George Floyd in time, and it’s possible it could be us or someone we know. Repeated images can easily re-traumatize the viewer.

Most people will keep watching the news. But you can take charge of your reactions to hard-to-see media. Here are four ways to help you cope:

• Limit traumatic images and videos. Repeatedly watching videos and images of racial injustice can trigger an array of traumatic emotions. Reducing your exposure the primary way people can cope with negative media, says Turner. This includes turning off the TV periodically, unfollowing social media accounts that continually post disturbing videos and photos, and reading news versus watching it. Reading about racially disturbing events is a way to stay informed about current events without the visual impact of watching it. While reading can still be a trigger, it isn’t as impactful.
• Engage in activism. Taking action to fight against racial injustice can be emotionally empowering. Examples include protesting, calling congressional leaders to advocate for changes in policing policies, writing powerful editorials that inform others, and voting for positive reform.
• Lean on friends. Sharing your emotions and thoughts with others who validate you and your feelings can be life giving when traumatic news events occur.
• Seek therapy. People are impacted to different degrees by what they see and hear. If you feel you can’t counter feelings of anxiety or sadness related to disturbing news events seeing a trained licensed psychologist or therapist may help. Try to find one that works with individuals that have experienced difficulties from witnessing or experiencing racism.

The Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture at Boston College also created a Racial Trauma Toolkit that offers coping tips.

Remember: There is power in numbers. No matter how you choose to cope with racial trauma, you are not alone in this struggle.