Post-Slavery Syndrome: Exploring The Clinical Impact Of The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

Recognizing the Legacies of Slavery in Contemporary Psychotherapy

People from the Caribbean and North America were enslaved for longer than they have been free. When Thomas’ great uncle enlisted in the Caribbean Regiment to fight in Europe for the Empire during World War One, black people in the British Caribbean had been free for only sixty-four years. Their history of trauma, violence, repeated separations, and broken attachments deeply affected their lives. Authors De Gruy and Mimms et al in America have said that people from post slavery societies in the main find it difficult to recognize their own psychological harm. In the United Kingdom Fletchman-Smith believes that there is much to do to overcome the legacies of slavery that have been embedded in family and social relationships. Therapeutic approaches are as much about the individual, self-esteem and self-love as they are about group relationships. There are challenges for both black and white therapists engaging with this work in which we are all implicated.

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THE SPEAKER

Lennox Thomas (1952-2020)

Lennox Thomas is a former Co-Director of the MSc Course in Intercultural Therapy at University College London, a former Clinical Director of the NAFSIYAT Intercultural Therapy Centre, a member of the British Association of Psychotherapists and of the Institute of Family Therapy.

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