Healing from internalized racism for Asian Americans.

Abstract

Internalized racism poses harm to Asian Americans' well-being, mental health, body image, and relationships, while reinforcing racism and anti-Blackness. Rather than pathologizing Asian Americans who internalize racism, this article offers an understanding of its origins within the context of white supremacy and ways of healing and dismantling internalized oppression by cultivating critical consciousness, which includes both awareness of oppression and action to change systems of oppression. Recommendations for psychologists include inviting conversations and naming internalized oppression directly, integrating awareness and psychoeducation about internalized oppression into psychotherapy practice, teaching mindfulness and self-compassion, empowering and encouraging clients to take social action, and promoting critical consciousness in community interventions. In addition to helping clients heal from the harms of internalized racism, psychologists are encouraged to engage in antiracism work as a means of preventing the harms of racism. Public Significance StatementThis article provides an analysis of research on internalized racism and its harmful impact on Asian Americans and offers strategies for psychologists to support Asian Americans in healing from internalized racism by inviting conversations and naming internalized oppression directly, integrating awareness and psychoeducation about internalized oppression into psychotherapy practice, teaching mindfulness and self-compassion, and empowering and encouraging clients to take social action.

The Trauma of COVID-19–Fueled Discrimination: Posttraumatic Stress in Asian American Adolescents

“…They can also design trauma-informed, culturally sensitive Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions to promote ESEAA students’ resilience and coping ( Litam & Oh, 2020 ), and facilitate referrals to mental health services that normalize help-seeking behaviors among this population ( Cheah et al, 2020 ). Given Asian Americans’ collectivist orientation ( Chopra, 2021 ), involving these students in social justice-oriented support groups and inviting them to share their COVID-19–fueled discriminatory experiences and related trauma narratives in a braver space ( Ieva et al, 2021 ) might be valuable, as they may have difficulty initiating this conversation (e.g., “I wonder if you would describe what your experience has been like as an Asian American following the COVID-19 outbreak”). Such invitation may communicate school counselors’ cultural sensitivity, create a sense of trust, and enhance disclosure about racial discrimination experiences among Asian American students ( Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Counseling can provide an important space for helping Asian American students cultivate critical consciousness by exploring how internalized racism manifests in their coping strategies, daily life experiences, and feeling empowered to take action toward social change and dismantle oppression ( Chopra, 2021 ). In this safe space, Asian American students can develop a positive ethnic identity by engaging in conversations about the history of Asian Americans in the United States, including both the history of racism and inequities and of civil rights activists.…”

“…Since Asian American adolescents indicate a higher tendency to internalize the model minority trope, school counselors can incorporate mindfulness and self-compassion practices (e.g., guided imagery exercises) into Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions as a culturally relevant approach to healing racial trauma among this population ( Litam, 2020 ; Liu & Modir, 2020 ). These practices may be useful for Asian American adolescents, as many pursue self-help approaches rather than mental health services ( Chopra, 2021 ). East and Southeast Asian American students also can benefit from creative interventions, such as play, art, drama, music, and bibliotherapy (e.g., photovoice, song-writing, trauma trivia) to help them process issues, feelings, and thoughts associated with racial discrimination ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Handford & Marrero, 2022 ).…”

Queer Asian American men’s racialized dating preferences: The role of internalized racism and resistance and empowerment against racism.

“…Beyond relating to past research, the current study also incorporated a strengths-based approach by focusing on resistance and empowerment against racism as it relates to queer Asian American men’s dating preferences. Past researchers have advocated that future research needs to take more strengths-based and resilience-based approaches when doing research with Asian Americans (Chopra, 2021), especially with queer POC populations (Parmenter et al, 2021). In relation to this study specifically, our findings position queer Asian American men as capable of disentangling themselves from glorifying Whiteness the more they take action against racism.…”

“…If queer Asian American men believe in negative and self-defeating stereotypes about their own racial group, that may reduce the extent to which they feel that they can adapt to new and challenging circumstances or cope with unforeseen events. It is possible that queer Asian American men may then seek out a White male partner to boost their sense of self-worth, such that they may feel that dating a White romantic partner may elevate their own capacity to handle challenges given the elevation of whiteness in the U.S (Chopra, 2021). However, this pathway is speculative given that to our knowledge, no studies have yet quantitatively examined queer Asian American men’s internalized racism and its effects.…”