Systems of domination sink into our soul.
This is a big one. And it is multifaceted and layered and nuanced and complex. And once again, I do not have all of the answers. But I do, as a therapist, seek to ask the right questions.
We have all been shaped by the world around us in many different ways. One of my mentor’s talks about how “family, religion, culture, and society” are often sites of deep (deep) historical, intergenerational, and relational trauma. It is nearly impossible to avoid internalizing messages that we have been exposed to over and over again throughout our lives. While individuals and communities marginalized by dominant society have always resisted, there are often still deep-seeded psychological and somatic (or “body-based”) impacts from constantly having to fight.
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum talks about racism as “the water we swim in” and “the air we breathe.” Systems of oppression and domination exist all around us. And show-up in so many glaringly obvious and sometimes subtle ways. It is built into so much of our social structure in the United States, and around the world. Those who are wealthy, white, cisgender, heteronormative, Christian, neurotypical, able-bodied, men who are descendants of colonizers are often prioritized, protected, and put on a pedestal in dominant society.
The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond refers to the differing impacts of internalized racial oppression as internalized racial inferiority and internalized racial superiority.
- Internalized Racial Inferiority
The acceptance of and acting out of an inferior definition of self given by the oppressor is rooted in the historical designation of one’s race. Over many generations, this process of disempowerment and disenfranchisement expresses itself in self-defeating behavior.
- Internalized Racial Superiority
The acceptance of and acting out of a superior definition is rooted in the historical designation of one’s race. Over many generations, this process of empowerment and access expresses itself as unearned privileges, access to institutional power, and invisible advantages based upon race.
While systems of domination and oppressed harm us all, they do not harm us equally and certainly not in the same ways. As a therapist, I often work with folks with one or more marginalized identities who are interested in unpacking (and/or uprooting) deep-seeded internalized oppression, in order to return to a more compassionate, loving, and grounded relationship with self and others.