RAP STRATEGIES : AFRI-CENTRIC PSYCHOTHERAPY & RACIAL TRAUMA RECOVERY

2025 WORKSHOP SERIES : ANTI-RACIST AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TRAUMA TREATMENT

David Archer, Thomas Zimmerman and Jennifer Marchand

Join three leaders in the field to learn cutting-edge approaches to EMDR and trauma recovery for work with complex trauma and diverse populations.

Racial trauma, which involves experiences of oppression and discrimination tied to a person’s social identity, presents unique challenges. Clinical experience has shown that many racial trauma survivors actually present with symptoms that have a high degree of overlap with complex trauma survivors.

In the first of this series of 3 workshops, David Archer will present an overview of his innovative and integrative therapeutic approach called Rhythm and Processing (RAP) Strategies, which combines memory reconsolidation techniques with Africentric principles. This framework aims to provide culturally responsive treatment for complex PTSD, identity-based stress, and treatment-resistant disorders.

David's Rhythm and Processing (RAP) strategies can serve as a standalone as well as adjunct to EMDR and other psychotherapies. An explanation of racial trauma and how it manifests will take place. The presentation will also cover the four cores of anti-racist psychotherapy so therapists can understand both the rationale and an introduction into the implementation of an anti-racist psychotherapy, culminating in a sample video demonstrating the use of a floatback technique and the RAP technique (combining tactile bilateral stimulation and a modified Flash approach derived from Zimmerman's Four Blinks approach) to assist in processing a trauma target related to a client’s recent experience of distress.

All profits from the series will go to support the work of Trauma Aid UK whose Humanitarian Assistance programmes continue to bring hope and healing to under-represented regions affected by war, conflict and mass trauma. All the workshops will be recorded and available for 45 days.

David Archer, MSW, MFT, is an anti-racist psychotherapist and EMDR Consultant from Montreal, Canada (Tiohtia:ke). He provides mental health services and regularly conducts workshop presentations on treating complex trauma. He has delivered plenary and keynote speeches and authored books on race, identity, and mental health.

He is also an accomplished author whose publications serve as valuable resources for individuals and professionals seeking to understand and address the intersections of systemic racism, trauma, and mental health.

Archer's contributions to the field have been recognized through awards such as Concordia University's President's Task Force on Anti-Black Racism Award and the Emerging Leader Award in EMDR therapy from the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). He has served as a keynote and plenary speaker at various conferences, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium at the University of Michigan and events hosted by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Publications:

Racial Trauma Recovery: Healing Our Past Using Rhythm and Processing
In this book, Archer introduces Rhythm and Processing (RAP) Strategies, an integrative therapeutic approach for treating complex PTSD and racial trauma.

Transforming Complex Trauma: Reflections on Anti-Racist Psychotherapy
This book encourages readers to explore complex trauma through an Anti-Racist Psychotherapy lens, offering a fresh, comprehensive, and anti-oppressive perspective.

Anti-Racist Psychotherapy: Confronting Systemic Racism and Healing Racial Trauma
This book provides a revolutionary approach that integrates trauma-informed therapy with a direct confrontation of systemic racism and mental health.

Black Meditation: Ten Practices for Self-Care, Mindfulness, and Self-Determination
This work offers ten practices aimed at enhancing self-care, mindfulness, and self-determination, particularly within the Black community.

Black Mountain: Fight for the Future
An anime inspired unique exploration that blends narrative storytelling with themes of racial identity and resilience.