Our Blood Flows Red: Trauma and African-American Men in Military Service: Clinical Implications For Working with African-American Veterans with Complex Trauma

Throughout the 20th Century African-American men were repeatedly exposed to racism during military service. There is overwhelming documentation that veteran service organizations either reinforced race- related stressors or subjected African-American military personnel to racist environments while they were actively engaged in combat conditions. This study provides recommendations to therapists that work with African-American veterans. Among those recommendations are therapists: 1) should become knowledgeable about racism that impact the daily lives of African-American men; 2) have to consider the needs at each stage of clinical interaction; and 3) must take into consideration transference and countertransference issues that may appear at each stage of clinical interaction. This study concludes with the awareness that both the dominant society and the African-American community shoulder responsibility for the current state of "being" in relation to African-American veterans. The African-American community in its perception that emotional problems are a weakness has served only to reinforce isolation commonly felt by veterans within their community.