Can What Separate Us Unite Us?

The 2016 election results shocked the nation and caused a national collective trauma, which has been exacerbated this year by COVID-19, protests against racism, and a tightly contested election. Collective trauma is insidious. Its impact affects all aspects of society.

Collective trauma is, by definition, marked by intense polarization, which causes a profound demonization of the other, making discourse about important political issues seem futile. Collective trauma manifests in labeling, blaming and shaming the “other,” harassment, and even violence against opponents. This leads to the inability to listen to the other. Our breakdown of civility has reached even the halls of Congress.

As a result of this collective trauma,  many have cut ties with their loved ones in the name of political differences. Social media, touted to be a unifier, has instead facilitated anonymous incivility, boorishness, and vitriolic hatred, compromising a basic unity Americans previously felt. Collective trauma leads to mistrust, which fuels conspiracy theories. Fake news proliferates, tainting reasonable discourse. If allowed to continue unabated, it will  destroy the very fabric of a free, democratic country.

Just witness the vitriol as Americans waited, with bated breath, for the election results. Half of the country is deemed irremediable and malevolent, the other half treacherous, and most institutions diminished.

The voice of collective trauma is amplified by the media, which has become so polarized it creates opposing and mutually negating narratives. Those stories are completely mistrusted by one side and blindly believed by the other.  The polarized media fosters the belief that the nation is doomed if the other wins, provoking a decision to break all the rules because the ends justify the means. Collective trauma undermines the hope for common ground.

Deeply emotional social issues, such as the composition of the Supreme Court, abortion, gun control, gay and transgender rights, racism, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech have become incendiary political bombs that ignite collective fear instead of needed dialogue and compromise.

To successfully address these issues and quell partisanship, we must acknowledge that we are trapped in collective trauma and commit to release it. We can recognize that we are traumatized if we scorn and hate our opponents. We are traumatized if we obsess over extremists and label them as dangerous enemies, if we can’t see good in the other, if we lose our compassion, and if we believe they deserve to be punished and hurt.

We must acknowledge that we are trapped in collective trauma and commit to release it.

We can recognize where we are through this description: Do you believe “the other” is ignorant, crude and uncaring, rigid, immoral, hawkish, bigoted, radical, extreme, dangerous, and malevolent? That “the other” is hypocritical, dangerous, self-righteous, and unpatriotic? Regardless of your political orientation, it is easy to fall prey to this partisanship.

What can reunify us right now, immediately?

A landslide by either party would have validated the winning party’s belief in the truth of their narrative. However, what currently appears to be a narrow victory shows us that neither side holds a mandate and demonstrates the need for acknowledging the other. This is the opportunity to reunify the country and return to bipartisanship and balance. Unity will be based on moderation and collaboration through a democratic political process.

It is possible to unite these two legitimate narratives once we take away the traumatic layers. When we work on our stressed nervous system and help release our layers of activation, we will regain our balance. With a balanced nervous system, we lose the excess energy held in our body and the polarization it provokes.

COVID-19 spurred a tremendous response from the mental health field. Thousands of therapists delivered the tools that can help us through this unusual crisis. We have many options for discharging the stress and trauma from our bodies.

A self-regulated nervous system will naturally move us towards more moderate stances and reasonable discourse. We can engage in dialogue to manage differences, as we have done for so many centuries. We can  create worthy goals of compassionate care for the downtrodden and mobilize an economy that can serve as a locomotive for the rest of the world. We will recover our reputation as one of the healthiest democracies in the world and the envy of nations. Americans have recovered from serious obstacles before, and we can do it again.

By addressing collective trauma and reaching unity, we can overcome the obstacles facing us. There is a keen awareness now that we need to end the pandemic, curb Iran’s nuclear and hegemonic ambitions, confront China’s economic and military growing power, end jihadism, repair the world economy, address climate change, and reckon with the impact of racism.

Let’s use this post-election period to do our individual part to confront our trauma and rein in our polarization.

Gina Ross, MFCT, is Founder/President of the International Trauma-Healing Institute in the US (ITI-US) and its Israeli branch (ITI-Israel) and author of  “Beyond the Trauma Vortex into the Healing Vortex.” Look at her institute’s EmotionAid for free, easy-to-learn stress release tools that can be used on the spot, anywhere, anytime.