Trauma Therapy

Trauma IN Black Women: The Unseen Weight We Carry

Trauma isn’t just about one event — it’s about what happens inside you as a result. And for many Black women, trauma is layered. It can come from personal experiences like abuse or loss, and also from systemic racism, generational wounds, and daily microaggressions.

Too often, we’re expected to “be strong” and push through — but unprocessed trauma doesn’t disappear. It can show up as:

  • Trouble trusting others or feeling safe.

  • Constant tension, hypervigilance, or being easily startled.

  • Emotional numbness or detachment.

  • Anger, irritability, or explosive reactions.

  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.

  • Avoiding people, places, or situations that bring up memories.

  • Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, or chronic pain.

These signs are often minimized or misread due to harmful stereotypes like the “Strong Black Woman” or “angry Black woman” trope — leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Black women do break, and it’s okay. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to carry it alone.

What Trauma Can Look Like

Trauma can result from many experiences, including:

  • Childhood abuse or neglect.

  • Sexual assault or harassment.

  • Domestic or intimate partner violence.

  • Medical trauma, including birth trauma.

  • Racial trauma and workplace discrimination.

  • Loss of a loved one or sudden life changes.

  • Accidents, natural disasters, or community violence.

What This Support Can Look Like

Trauma can linger in both mind and body, shaping how you see yourself and the world around you. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting what happened — it means finding new ways to process pain, regain safety, and reconnect with yourself. Therapy offers tools to gently release what feels overwhelming and build resilience for the road ahead.

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

How it helps:  Reprocesses distressing memories so they lose their emotional grip, without forcing you to relive every detail.

What it looks like: Guided sets of eye movements, tapping, or sounds while focusing on targeted memories, shifting them toward resolution.

Somatic & Mindfulness Practice

How it helps: Brings awareness back to your body, reduces hypervigilance, and restores a sense of safety.

What it looks like: Grounding techniques, breathing exercises, or guided movement to release stored tension.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

How it helps: Identifies and challenges the negative beliefs trauma can create (“It was my fault,” “I’m never safe”).

What it looks like: Structured conversations and exercises that replace harmful thought patterns with healthier, reality-based ones.

The Role of Faith in Therapy

For many Black women, faith is not just belief — it’s our anchor, our history, and our way of making sense of life’s challenges. We recognize that your spirituality, church family, and cultural practices may be central to your identity, and therapy should support, not compete with, those values.

Faith integration in therapy can look like:

  • Opening or closing sessions with prayer.

  • Exploring scripture alongside therapeutic insights.

  • Using meditation, music, or storytelling rooted in your heritage.

  • Navigating how to set boundaries within faith communities while staying connected.

We also understand that some Black women carry pain from church hurt, exclusion, or spiritual abuse. Therapy can be a safe space to unpack those wounds, rebuild trust in your spiritual self, and explore new forms of connection that nurture rather than harm.

Online & In-Person Trauma Therapy — Accessible and Confidential

Whether you’re in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Concord, Atlanta, or anywhere in California or Georgia, you can choose what works best for you. Our secure telehealth platform connects you with a Black woman therapist from the comfort of your home, and our in-person sessions provide a safe, supportive space to grieve and heal.

Meet Our Black Women Therapists

Trauma Therapy FAQs

  • Yes — we accept multiple insurance plans in California and Georgia. These include: United Healthcare (Optum), Oxford (Optum), United Healthcare Medicare Advantage, Anthem Blue Cross California, Anthem EAP (Bank of America), Blue Shield of California, Carelon Behavioral Health, Magellan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Quest Behavioral Health, Aetna, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Independence Blue Cross Pennsylvania, and Cigna. We also offer therapy vouchers for eligible Black women currently pregnant or within one year postpartum.

  • No. Trauma can result from anything that overwhelms your ability to cope — even if others don’t see it as a “major” event.

  • Yes. Healing isn’t about erasing the past — it’s about reclaiming your sense of safety, peace, and self.

  • Healing timelines look different for everyone. Some people notice shifts in just a few sessions, while others benefit from longer-term support. What matters most is moving at a pace that feels safe and sustainable for you.