The Importance of Trauma Skills for Queer and Trans People

Why is it so important for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to learn skills for trauma recovery?

This question is somewhat misleading, because any skills that help to regulate the nervous system are beneficial to anyone who has experienced trauma. And yet, the queer community experiences more systemic oppression and violence as a community, meaning we are more likely to experience trauma, and more of it. These skills, then, are especially beneficial to the queer and trans people.

Experiencing traumatic events can disrupt our nervous system’s capacity to self-regulate. This means that we may experience becoming ‘stuck’ in a state that is vigilant and overstimulated. Often, survivors of trauma experience anxiety, depression, anger, panic, irritability, lethargy, or other signs of being trapped in our ‘fight or flight’ modes.

So, What Do Queer Trauma Recovery Skills Look Like?

Community Support as Queer Resilience

While many conventional skills for nervous system regulation focus on our capacity to ‘self-regulate’, a queer lens reminds us that building a social support network is a critical trauma skill. Our sense of community and mutual aid is powerful, since we aren't always included in all spaces.  Cultivating safety and support within our own community is how we've always survived, and this legacy serves us as well in recovery as it does in survival.

Self-Compassion

Equally critical is the importance of self-compassion as a trauma recovery skill for queer people. It's important for queer and trans folks to develop self-love and acceptance, as it may sometimes be lacking in the wider community, or even our families of origin. Self-compassion is also important because so many of us are activists, and it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling like we're never doing enough, or not doing activism in the right way.  To be able to have compassion for ourselves when we don't have the capacity to show up in a specific way can help us be sustainable in the work. Self-compassion also generates compassion for others, which is much-needed in our diverse queer communities. When we accept ourselves, we send ourselves the message that we are safe with ourselves.

Celebrating What’s Working

When people are othered, they often feel like they're not enough.  One of the ways to build a sense of agency is to highlight our existing ability to use coping skills and strategies, and to keep ourselves safe.  An exploration of internal and external resources supports folks to take stock of what they're already doing well, which inspires confidence and hope.

Creativity and Group Therapy

When looking at trauma recovery with a queer lens, it’s important to highlight the creativity within our communities. Our creativity operates both as a community tie and a personal resource. Creativity can also be facilitated and encouraged by group processes, which means that group therapy can be an important addition to personal work and individual therapy for queer and trans folks.  Participating in a therapy group with a process-oriented facilitator can help to highlight the wisdom and resiliency of participants, so that recovery can happen in tandem with, and because of, the presence of other queer people.  Also, the mutually supportive atmosphere of group helps people know they're not alone, and participants also get the opportunity to celebrate each others' wins. Again, this can be so important for people who may be excluded from many spaces.

While a plethora of conventional trauma recovery skills can be derived from many therapeutic modalities, like DBT and EMDR, truly effective therapy always also considers culture. As such, it’s critical for queer and trans folks to consider the resources and skills that resonate with and arise from the cultural realities of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Author Bios

Shadi K. (they/them) M. Ed., CCC identifies as genderqueer, pansexual and polyamorous, and neurodivergent and chronically ill.  As an intersectional feminist, they are committed to dismantling systems and structures of oppression, and supporting marginalized folks to navigate the impacts of these. They come from an anti-oppression and anti-violence perspective, using principles of response-based practice and transformative justice. They are continually learning how to decolonize their practice, and strive to provide culturally relevant support for my BIPOC community members.

Rachel Newby (she/her) is an Our Landing Place counselling intern. Her work is rooted in intersectional feminism, harm-reduction, anti-oppression, and trauma-focused care. She is passionate about helping folks explore personally fulfilling ways of being and finding pleasure within their existence.