{"id":13181,"date":"2021-02-19T09:53:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T17:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/wilkinson\/2021\/02\/19\/racial-trauma-a-study-by-dr-andrew-kami\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T23:51:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T23:51:50","slug":"racial-trauma-a-study-by-dr-andrew-kami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/2021\/02\/19\/racial-trauma-a-study-by-dr-andrew-kami\/","title":{"rendered":"Racial Trauma, a study by Dr. Andrew Kami"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Discrimination is a traumatic experience and can cause depression, anxiety, and lead to racial trauma and although it is not a stated or recognized disorder yet, Medical News Today<\/i><\/a>, states it can affect a person\u2019s life in so many ways, including their ability to have relationships, concentrate on school or work, and feel safe.<\/p>\n

Recently, I attended the online Racial Trauma series with Dr. Andrew Kami, the director of Student Psychological Counseling at Chapman University<\/a>. Kami is biracial and bilingual; his father was Japanese, and his mother was Mexican. As a child, both of his parents passed away, so he experienced years of group-home living and racial trauma, which can also be called race-based stress or racial stress trauma. Kami hopes his study will help rehabilitate those who face racial trauma and those who cause it.<\/p>\n

Before the session began, Dr. Kami shared a disclaimer about word usage, which meant if either one of us was bothered by a word choice, we should allow the space for one another to speak up and share why. The next foundation he established was the meaning of mental health: emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. He explained that our identities are affected by A.C.E.S., or Adverse Childhood Experiences Studies, which tend to measure higher in minority communities.<\/p>\n

There are different types of racism. Macroaggression racism is forward and direct, even physical. Microaggression racism is subtle, intentional, or not intentional but assumes levels of inferiority. Structural racism is what is commonly referred to as systematic racism, and it can be exemplified in the housing market, harsher criminal sentencing, or discriminatory voter ID laws. When individuals experience any of these forms of racism, they start to believe them and begin to marginalize themselves.<\/p>\n

One example Kami gave is when someone hears the same question or comment over and over again, the repetition makes a person \u201cother\u201d him, her, or themself. In a larger scope, when multiple situations cause these anxieties and are multiplied, the cumulative racial stress turns into physical anxiety, or trauma. Psychological experience turns into physiological experience and vice versa. Higher levels of stress over time might relax in a calm environment, for example, when a student comes to Chapman and feels safe. However, if triggered, anxiety can spike into an \u201cacute symptomatic presentation\u201d of the trauma.<\/p>\n

Kami suggested ways to deal with racial trauma that can be done on one\u2019s own or with help.<\/p>\n