June '25 - Pride & Resilience: Healing Trauma in our LGBTQ+ Clients

To honor and celebrate Pride Month, we want to call attention to the astronomical disparity in PTSD among members of the LGBTQ+ community. The National Center for PTSD reports that LGBTQ+ individuals have a ten times higher risk of developing PTSD than the general population. 48 percent of LGBTQ+ individuals and 42 percent of transgender individuals, meet criteria for PTSD. The prevalence of PTSD in the general population is only 4.7 percent.

The key sources of LGBTQ+ traumatic experiences stem from:

Discrimination and Stigma: LGBTQ+ people regularly face verbal, physical, and emotional abuse due to their identity. This can occur in school, work, public spaces, and even within their families.
Hate Crimes: Violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity is a significant risk for LGBTQ+ individuals. This can include physical assault, harassment, or even murder.
Rejection and Abandonment: Many LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly youth, experience rejection from family, friends, or religious communities. The psychological toll of these experiences is often severe and long-lasting.
Bullying and Harassment: LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately targeted by bullying, both in school and online. This can result in long-term psychological damage, leading to conditions like PTSD and vastly increased suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.
Sexual Abuse and Violence: LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans women of color and gay men, are at heightened risk of sexual violence, which is a direct contributor to PTSD.

As Brainspotters we are in a unique position to help these clients achieve lasting healing, self-love, and peace. It is important not to shy away from inquiring about the most common traumas our LGBTQ+ clients have experienced. (See the bolded list above). The first order of business is to heal any internalized societal or family shame around homophobia and transphobia.

Below I have attached the Activated and Expansion frame I have found to be most helpful in overcoming deeply entrenched rejection, bullying, and hate from family members, religious communities and the society at large. In collaboration with our clients, we must find the best way to heal their shame in order for them to be free. It is called the “Truth and Lie” Frame. The Truth is the innate goodness in them, and the lie is internalized messaging of being unworthy, not good enough, not belonging, or being bad or unacceptable. Once the shame is healed, we can tackle their traumatic experiences.

Resources and Support:

• The Trevor Project: A leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ young people. They offer a 24/7 crisis hotline, text line, and online platform for support.
• Trans Lifeline: A non-profit organization dedicated to providing emotional and financial support to transgender people.
• MindOut (UK): MindOut LGBTQ Mental Health Service is run by and for lesbians, gay men, bisexual, transgender and queer people with lived experience of mental health issues.
• PFLAG: The United States' largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.