Reimagining the past, present, & future: science fiction, fantasy, and Afrofuturism as modes of healing for communities of color

Is science fiction a viable therapeutic mode of healing for communities of color? The continued oppression and erasure of people of color from the dominant narrative within the U.S. has detrimental effects on the psyche. Yet within this story also exists healing, joy, and resistance. This study explores how the mental health field may meet the needs of those most impacted by honoring their already-existing knowledge. The findings affirmed that science fiction as a mode of healing provides validation around experiences of oppression, language to conceptualize this, and the ability to imagine new realities and futures. Racial and identity dynamics were also found to play a critical role in the therapeutic dyad – alluding to the need for the mental health field to acknowledge and address the impact of racial trauma. In not attending to this, the profession is complicit in reenacting harm and furthering racial trauma for communities of color