Out of the Fire: Healing Black Trauma Caused by Systemic Racism Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Learn to pull yourself out of the fire of pain and live a life of meaning and purpose.

As Black people, we are more likely to face a traumatic experience or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But being Black is about more than the violence that has been perpetrated against us. It also means living a life of dignity and self-worth. We can pull ourselves out of the fire of painful experiences and gain the psychological flexibility needed to thrive, not just survive. This book will help guide you.

In Out of the Fire, Black clinician and professor, Jennifer Shepard Payne presents culturally tailored acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills to help you heal from trauma, so you can live a meaningful life that is in tune with your own values. The ACT approach in this guide is empowering, strength-based, and non-pathologizing. As you read, you will come to understand that your suffering is not a sign of dysfunction, but rather a product of circumstances and your experience. Once you face the pain of trauma head on, you will discover the tools needed to feel whole.

Recovering from trauma in all its forms is something that we desperately need as Black people. Whether you are experiencing mental pain as a result of race-based trauma, or have lived through a personal traumatic experience, this book can help you take the first steps needed to heal and live the life you deserve.

Jennifer Shepard Payne, PhD, LCSW, is the founder and owner of DTG Counseling and Consulting, a private practice where she provides acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) counseling and coaching primarily to African Americans of faith suffering from anxiety or trauma. For several years, Payne has been working on culturally tailoring ACT for African American communities, both clinically and via research. She is the co-coordinator for the Executive Committee of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Special Interest Group within the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS). For more information, her website is www.drjspayne.com. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.