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The Legacy of Slavery in Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Frame the Impact of Slavery on African Americans

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Racism and Psychiatry

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Psychiatry ((CCPSY))

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Abstract

Over 200 years of slavery and trauma, as well as present-day racism and oppression, have had negative psychological effects on generations of African Americans. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma help to shed light on specific ways in which centuries of trauma may psychologically impact African Americans. However, in the face of slavery, racism, and oppression, African Americans have utilized adaptive coping strategies to survive and thrive. This chapter (1) discusses PTSD and complex trauma; (2) revisits traumas that have occurred during and after slavery; (3) uses a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) framework to discuss the impact of slavery on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of African Americans; (4) highlights adaptive coping mechanisms; and (5) provides an example of a promising and culturally adapted psychological treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Sannisha K. Dale

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Sannisha K. Dale

  3. Housing Search, Finance, HomeStart, Inc., Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA

    Kimberly J. Merren

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  1. Sannisha K. Dale
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Correspondence to Sannisha K. Dale .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

    Morgan M. Medlock

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Derri Shtasel

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Nhi-Ha T. Trinh

  4. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    David R. Williams

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Dale, S.K., Merren, K.J. (2019). The Legacy of Slavery in Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors: Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Frame the Impact of Slavery on African Americans. In: Medlock, M., Shtasel, D., Trinh, NH., Williams, D. (eds) Racism and Psychiatry. Current Clinical Psychiatry. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90197-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90197-8_2

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