Scrolling through social media, self-care often appears as a luxury, associated with indulgent activities like bubble baths and yoga sessions, typically marketed to young, affluent individuals. However, the true origins of self-care run much deeper, especially when considering its critical role in addressing trauma within marginalized communities. The history of self-care is closely tied to the civil rights movements of the 1960s and ‘70s, particularly within Black communities, where it emerged as a necessary tool for healing and survival amid systemic trauma.
Trauma, especially collective trauma stemming from racism, violence, and systemic oppression, profoundly impacts the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of marginalized individuals. Black communities, particularly during the height of the civil rights movement, faced constant threats to their safety, dignity, and humanity. For these communities, self-care was not a trend but a revolutionary practice essential for survival.
The medical field began using the term “self-care” in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until the Black Panther Party embraced and politicized it in the 1960s that it became a collective response to trauma. The Black Panthers recognized that caring for one’s health—physical, mental, and emotional—was crucial in the fight against the deep psychological scars left by racial violence and oppression.
“Holistic care for Black communities and activists has always been central to community organizing. Black women, particularly queer women, understood that caring for oneself was necessary for both personal and collective resilience in the face of systemic trauma,” explains Dr. Maryam K. Aziz, a postdoctoral research fellow at Penn State University.
Leaders like Angela Davis and Ericka Huggins, both of whom were incarcerated, adopted mindfulness techniques such as meditation and yoga while imprisoned. They recognized that these practices helped them cope with the trauma of incarceration and the broader violence of systemic racism. Upon their release, Davis and Huggins became advocates for integrating self-care, nutrition, and physical wellness into community programs, creating spaces where individuals, especially children, could begin to heal from trauma through wellness.
For Black women and queer activists, self-care became a radical act of defiance against a world that constantly devalued their existence. In recognizing and treating the trauma that permeated their lives, they reframed self-care as an essential tool for maintaining mental health while navigating an oppressive sociopolitical system. By promoting practices like yoga, meditation, and proper nutrition, they encouraged healing from the inside out—both on an individual and community level.
Healing Trauma Through Empowerment and DefenCe
One of the ways the Black Panther Party responded to trauma was through self-defence, which became a vital aspect of their Ten-Point Program. Trauma, especially that resulting from racial violence, often manifests in the body through hypervigilance, anxiety, and a sense of powerlessness. By teaching martial arts and self-defence, the Panthers empowered individuals to reclaim their bodies and protect themselves in a world that frequently sought to harm them.
“The self-defence aspect of the Black Panther’s legacy was about more than physical protection. It was about instilling a sense of strength, power, and value in Black individuals, particularly Black women and girls, who were often made to feel weak or unworthy,” says Aziz. This reclaiming of the body through martial arts not only helped individuals heal from trauma but also reinforced self-worth and resilience.
Programs like these acknowledged that trauma was not just an individual experience but a collective one, born from systemic racism. By encouraging people to defend themselves, the Panthers also helped them defend their mental health, their right to exist safely, and their place in the world. Today, movements like Black Women Martial Arts continue this legacy, framing self-defence as a powerful form of healing from trauma.
Audre Lorde and the Politics of Self-Care in Trauma Recovery
In the 1980s, poet and activist Audre Lorde expanded on this understanding of self-care, particularly in the context of trauma recovery. Lorde, who faced her own battles with cancer, emphasized that self-care was not merely an act of indulgence but a radical act of self-preservation. Her writings in A Burst of Light: and Other Essays highlighted how, for Black women, queer people, and other marginalized groups, self-care was a means of surviving both personal trauma and the broader trauma of living in an oppressive society.
Lorde’s work reinforced that self-care in the face of trauma is not an act of selfishness but one of political resistance. By caring for themselves, individuals in marginalized communities reject the narrative that their well-being is unimportant. They assert that their mental and physical health matters and that healing from trauma is a powerful form of activism.
Trauma-Informed Care: A Practice Rooted in Self-Care
Understanding the deep relationship between trauma and self-care is essential for trauma-informed counselling. Trauma-informed care centres on recognizing the pervasive impact of trauma and ensuring that healing practices are sensitive to the specific needs of individuals who have experienced trauma. This approach aligns with the historical roots of self-care as a method of addressing trauma within oppressed communities.
In trauma-informed counselling, the focus is on creating safe spaces where individuals can begin to heal. The techniques championed by activists like Angela Davis and Audre Lorde—mindfulness, physical wellness, and holistic care—are still relevant today, offering pathways to recovery from trauma. These practices help individuals regain a sense of control over their lives, bodies, and mental well-being.
Ultimately, self-care within the context of trauma is about reclaiming one’s power, fostering resilience, and promoting long-term healing. By integrating these approaches, trauma-informed counsellors can help individuals not just survive trauma, but thrive in spite of it, carrying forward a legacy of empowerment, healing, and revolutionary self-care.
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