How Kindred Uses Time Travel to Close the Gap on Generational Trauma
Adapted from Octavia Butler’s 1979 novel, Kindred is the story of Dana, a 26-year-old woman in 2016 living in Los Angeles who experiences night terrors that transport her through time to land in the antebellum south where she finds herself reunited with her ancestors. Science fiction has been a new genre for me that I’ve found to be incredibly stimulating. Like many therapists, I was a big nonfiction consumer. I loved reading memoirs about how people overcame the most intense of adverse life experiences and lived to tell their stories as part of their therapeutic process.
So for so long, I resisted the idea of engaging in a world full of “what ifs” and imagination. But, it was stories like these that got me realizing that they represented much bigger themes than the characters themselves. Science fiction allows writers and consumers alike to explore big philosophical questions about ourselves and society and does it in a way where you can’t help but put yourself in a character’s shoes.
In the trauma work I do, I talk a lot about being “stuck” in your trauma. When you first learn about trauma, you often hear about the concept of the fight/flight response. But, there’s another response we often forget about which is to “freeze”.
What does it mean to be “stuck” in your trauma?
When you have a frozen response to trauma, you remain stunted in the state you were in while the trauma was happening; even long after the trauma may have occurred. This is manifested through your perspective. The traumatic experience becomes the lens through which you see the world, yourself, and others; which is often a drastic change from the way you used to see things. For example, if you are traumatized from being a driver in a car accident, you may have a drastic shift in the way you move through the world.
You may begin to experience anxiety and other symptoms of trauma as a result of no longer trusting your own judgment, not trusting others to drive, or believing that the streets in your area are dangerous at all times. Having that shift in perspective will have an incredible impact on your quality of life.
The most common defense we have is avoidance. We are quick to say it happened in the past, so it stayed in the past. But that is so far from true. Trauma continues to thrive through the lens through which we see the world, ourselves, and other people.
How Generational Trauma has caused descendants of slavery to be “stuck”?
I must note that, systemically, Black people have been physically and forcibly stuck since the emancipation of slavery in the form of laws and overt/covert forms of racism. It’s been perpetuated through things like…
The subjugation of stereotypes:
In Kindred, Dana is described as lazy and someone that’s more trouble than she’s worth. Her mother is repeatedly referred to as a witch and wench. I can’t help but think this is a comment on how white people respond to a perceived threat of the “angry black woman” a woman being confident in her skill, or overly promiscuous. These are all common stereotypes of Black women today.
Restrictive access to things like education and practicing of skills:
Dana’s ability to read and heal is seen as a threat. People are also threatened by her desire to ask questions and seek answers. For many years, Black people have been restricted and kept from having the same quality education and work opportunities as their white counterparts.
Incarceration:
Although a freedwoman, Dana’s mother is incarcerated in the past. She has not been able to hop time in the way Dana has. And she’s built a whole life to the point that she has reservations about being able to survive outside of this world. Is it really better on the other side?
There are also major themes in life that trauma impacts. These are the ways that Generational Trauma continues to impact Black people in more internalized ways:
Safety:
Whether she’s in the present or the past, Dana is in an unsafe situation. In both worlds, she is seen with suspicion and is always under the threat of being arrested in some way. This aligns with the fear that Black folks today have about encounters with law enforcement and being in predominately white spaces where the likelihood of being misunderstood can be great and cause harm.
Trust:
Not only does safety impact the relationship the Black community has with law enforcement, but the barriers to changing that sense of safety depend on trust. Trust you will be heard, understood, and advocated for. We see this trust broken time and time again in many systems including healthcare, which has led to even more restrictive access to care and treatment.
Esteem:
Believing the stereotypes about who you are and your self-worth. The constant struggle to maintain a sense of your own worth in a world that continues to communicate to you that you are the problem. This is experienced on many levels even within the Black community when you identify as Queer.
So how do you get unstuck?
In Kindred, we watch Dana spend the majority of her time trying to get answers. Not any answers… the right answers about what happened to her mother and who her ancestors were. That’s what happens with trauma. Whether you’re aware or not, you’re searching, always searching for answers. Either something that confirms or denies your theories of why things happened…how they happened…why you…
For the past century, Black historians, writers, artists, and activists have been trying to find those answers. There’s an incredible value to understanding your history and where you come from. Finding out the truth can ground you back into reality and out of the freeze response you’ve been functioning in. It widens the perspective and gives you more information than what you’ve been using to blame yourself or misplace anger with those you love the most.
Kindred is a story about healing generational wounds. It is no coincidence that once Dana and her mother establish their relationship, the mother’s first plan of action is “What we need to do, is figure out exactly what happened to us.” Sage advice, as knowing your history is the key to unlocking your future.
Begin Working With a Trauma Therapist in New York, NY Today!
Tired of being “stuck” in your trauma? At my New York, NY practice, I want to provide you with the support and guidance you need to begin overcoming your trauma and begin healing your generational wounds. To get started follow these three simple steps:
Contact me to schedule a 15-minute phone consultation
Meet with me, a skilled trauma therapist in New York, NY
Begin your healing journey to overcome your trauma.
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At Restority Space, trauma therapy isn’t the only service I offer. I’m committed to providing the care women may need when it comes to overcoming their mental health struggles online in both New York and New Jersey. I offer Individual Therapy to help women cope with their anxiety, depression, breakups, unhealthy relationships, and any major life transitions. I also provide Group Therapy to help individual women find a sense of belonging and for more support. My group services include a Therapy Group For New Mothers and a Therapy Group For Black Women. To learn more check out my blog and other resources!