The Cost of Being Othered: An Intersectional Panel Discusses PTSD, Dissociation & Oppression

Abstract
Division and trauma are intensifying worldwide, reshaping not only individual lives but the social fabric itself. Othering and bigotry—longstanding forces of harm—have reached dangerous levels that threaten mental health, physical safety, and societal cohesion. The Oxford Dictionary of Gender Studies (2017) defines othering as “a process whereby individuals and groups are treated and marked as different and inferior from the dominant social group.” Targets of othering span many identities, including race/ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, language, socioeconomic status (SES), and immigrant status.

This panel brings together a diverse group of therapists to examine how the trauma of othering manifests in clinical work, and how we as practitioners can respond. The traditional diagnostic lens asks, “What is wrong with you?” The trauma field has shifted that to “What happened to you?” Now, we must widen the frame again and ask, “What traumatic environment are you embedded in?”

This question—central to movements such as Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ advocacy, feminism, Indigenous rights, and anti-racism—forces us to confront what dominant culture often ignores: the daily, cumulative traumas endured by marginalized groups. Systems of power perpetuate this invisibility, sustaining division. In the trauma field, this bias shows in the scarcity of trainings on racial trauma compared to war or child abuse, and in the dominance of male thought leaders in a profession largely composed of women.

Because children are born into these inequitable systems, the trauma of othering becomes developmental trauma, frequently leading to complex PTSD and dissociation. This trauma is especially prevalent in the worlds of organized abuse, sex trafficking, ritual abuse, and mind control programs—many of which disproportionately target individuals from minority groups. Our discussion will explore how cultural competence and anti-othering awareness can be woven into every stage of trauma assessment and treatment. We will also consider how future editions of the DSM might more accurately represent these realities—especially within Criterion A for PTSD.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how systemic oppression shapes trauma, practical strategies for integrating this awareness into clinical practice, and renewed commitment to creating therapeutic spaces where clients feel safe and seen in disclosing othering-related trauma—ranging from cumulative microaggressions to acts of physical violence.