The study of psychological trauma depends on a political movement
It is time to address the impacts the current social order has made on people, and it has to be done both in therapy sessions and in the streets.
On Monday, I started by first class in my Masters in Social Work Program “Trauma Treatment.” We were assigned two chapters from Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recovery. I wrote the following response in my class discussion board:
The line "The systematic study of psychological trauma therefore depends on the support of a political movement" from Judith Herman's Trauma and Recovery is both a poignant lament about the past and an energizing call-to-action to make the psychiatric community take seriously complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).
The current social order of capitalism and liberal democracy makes anything less futile. Psychological trauma itself needed to be buoyed by existing political movements to gain any mainstream attention. The French Revolution, the feminist movement, and the antiwar movement allowed for new discoveries to be made regarding psychological trauma. The latter two were considered fringe, and yet through organizing and public demonstrations, were able to change laws and end a war. They also brought forward the idea that combat veterans and rape survivors have vital interests in common. These brings forth male-coded and female-coded patients under the same cluster of symptoms and similar needs in having their conditions addressed. As much work has been made, much more needs to be done to narrow the gap between these two groups. Capitalism is a system that keeps everyone competing for resources and liberal democracy provides a false sense of scarcity, forcing groups with similar interests to fight over progressive policies.
We see this in some of the earliest occurrences of psychological trauma being studied. Freud understood that he would lose funding and credibility with his patrons if he opened his research to the idea that the bourgeoisie, not just the poor, were subjecting women and children to sexual violence. It was in their interest to aide his research when it was being used to critique religion, as it was a tool of their enemies, the aristocracy. However, when his findings showed that there was something rotten in their homes, the choice became clear to him and other clinicians and researchers to back off the theory that hysteria was caused by sexual violence. Back to square one.
We need a political movement that does not just fight for the narrow interest of one group, but unites all impacted by psychological trauma. And that movement cannot just target the psychiatric community. It must also challenge Capital. It must be a threat to the current social order. The Ruling Class already considers including CPTSD in the DSM as a threat, so there is nothing to lose by putting political power behind that threat. This is a movement that cannot be led by politicians or captains of industry. It must be led by those most impacted by psychological trauma. The only people who can be accountable to a movement like this are those who will benefit from said movement. Politicians have varied interests that often work at cross purposes. We need the movement to put pressure on these politicians to do what's right.
It is time to address the impacts the current social order has made on people, and it has to be done both in therapy sessions and in the streets.