Hypervigilance

Not many of us have been immune to seeing the constant footage of Black Men losing their lives in front of an audience. This is unfortunately, a trend that has caused many of us to experience feelings of being consistently on guard. This is known as hypervigilance. So, why is this happening? Well, chemically our brain has started to be on high alert and our body's response is tension, anxiety, and constant anticipation of additional threats. As a therapist of color, I would be doing a disservice to not only myself and my clients, but to my profession, if I didn't acknowledge the role and impact this is having on our community. Now, more than ever, disadvantaged persons, and people of color need safe spaces to express themselves. They need to know that they are wanted, needed, loved, and above all to know that their voice and life matters!