Linked with The Global African Congress GAC, with The Global African Congress GAC, and with The Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome PTSS.
Women Who Are Shaping The World, A Leadership Summit, October 13, 2006, New York City, New York Marriott Marquis. Register here.
She holds workshops, for instance on Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, on Human Sexuality, or on African-American Male Youth Violence. (Read all on essence.com).
She says: “The nature of this work is such that each group first must see to their own healing, because no group can do another’s work” (about healing the Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, read the whole Interview).
Joy DeGruy-Leary – USA
She teaches social work at the Portland State University. See her new book ‘Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing’. (Read al on inthesetimes.com).
She works on the concept of « Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome » PTSS: The Theory of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome suggest that centuries of slavery followed by systemic racism and oppression have resulted in multigenerational adaptive behaviors, some of which have been positive and reflective of resilience, and others that are detrimental and destructive. In brief, Dr. Leary presents facts; statistics and documents that illustrate how varying levels of both clinically induced and socially learned residual stress related issues were passed along through generations as a result of slavery. (Read all on posttraumaticslavesyndrom.com).
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications, a master’s degree in Social Work (MSW), a master’s degree in Psychology, and a PhD in Social Work Research. She is an Assistant Professor at Portland State University. Her eighteen years of practical experience as a professional in the field of social work offers practical insight into various cultural and ethnic groups that form the basis of contemporary American society. Dr. Leary’s workshops also go far beyond the topic of cultural sensitivity; she provides specialized clinical work in areas of mental health and ecological resilience. (Read all on blackhawk.edu).
Leary’s concept is based on the theory of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is firmly accepted by the psychiatric establishment. It’s now taken as a given that there are people who will need treatment for the ongoing damage they suffered psychologically from the trauma of experiencing or witnessing life-threatening events such as military combat, a terrorist attack, natural disaster, serious accident or a violent personal assault, including rape. People afflicted with PTSD, Leary explained, often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks. They may have difficulty sleeping, be irritable, have outbursts of anger, exaggerated startle responses and feel estranged from others. Their ability to function in social, work or family life is also impaired. This includes having trouble holding down a job, marital problems and difficulties in parenting. (Read all on globalblacknews.com).
With a brutality few people in the 21st century can imagine, slavery accomplished its objective of controlling the bodies and minds of generations of stolen Africans. Those who survived the Middle Passage (it is estimated that more than 12 million Africans perished at sea) were sold into bondage to witness firsthand the beating, rape, kidnapping, torture, murder, and dehumanization of countless men, women and children. Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary, a social scientist with a Ph.D. in social work research, believes that many of the social, educational and health issues that plague inner-city black Americans today are the result of generations of untreated trauma resulting from the atrocities of slavery and race-based violence and oppression. (Read all on rollingout.com).
Book review: When African-Americans accept the deprecating accounts and images portrayed by the media, literature, music and the arts as a true mirror of themselves, we are actually allowing ourselves to be socialized by a racist society. Evidence of racist socialization can be readily seen when African-American children limit their aspirations… It can be seen when we use the accumulation of material things as the measure of self-worth and success. (Read all on African-American Literatur Book Club).
links:
Global African Congress, its vision and its Homepage;
OffOffOff-Theater;