Healing Reactions for Asian Americans After Collective Crisis
"An abnormal response to an abnormal situation is normal behavior."
– Viktor Frankl
Trauma isn't just about what happens to us — it’s about how our minds, bodies, and emotions react when life overwhelms our ability to cope.
Trauma is the reaction to an event, situation, or ongoing circumstance that exceeds our ability to process the experience, manage intense feelings, maintain emotional connection, or embody our full sense of self.
It has less to do with the event itself, and more to do with how deeply it impacts our inner world.
For many Asian Americans, especially those raised in immigrant families where survival and emotional suppression were often necessary, understanding trauma can be complicated. We might think, "I haven't been through anything that bad. I should be fine."
You may still have your job.
You may not have lost a loved one.
You might have a stable home and food on the table.
And yet — despite these "blessings" — you may feel disconnected, unmotivated, anxious, restless, numb, or deeply "off" inside.
You may wonder:
"Why am I struggling when others seem fine?"
"Why do I feel so tired, lonely, or unsure when nothing 'big' has happened to me?"
At the same time, many others are grappling with more visible losses and stress:
Worrying about their health or a loved one’s health.
Navigating job loss, financial uncertainty, or instability.
Experiencing intensified loneliness, disconnection, or grief.
Feeling the resurfacing of old wounds that predated the collective crisis.
Even now, years after the height of COVID-19, many Asian Americans are still carrying the emotional residue, not just from the pandemic itself, but from how it intersected with existing cultural pressures, racial trauma, and emotional isolation.
If you are experiencing yourself differently — if your emotions feel strange, unpredictable, heavy, or confusing — this is normal. Your body and mind are responding to profound change, uncertainty, and collective grief.
You Are Not Broken
You are not weak for feeling this way.
You are not wrong for needing more support.
You are not alone in your experience.
You are having an understandable, human reaction to overwhelming circumstances.
In my therapy work with Asian American clients, I often remind clients that healing trauma isn't about dismissing your pain because someone else “had it worse.” It’s about honoring the truth of how your nervous system, your heart, and your spirit were impacted — and giving yourself permission to heal.
Healing Starts with Recognition
If you are noticing anxiety, depression, disconnection, or emotional numbness, it may be time to give yourself the compassion and care you deserve. Healing often starts by recognizing that what you are feeling makes sense — and that there is support available.
Whether through Anxiety Therapy, Trauma Recovery, or culturally sensitive Asian American therapy, you can begin to make sense of your reactions and reconnect with your full, authentic self.
You deserve to live with emotional clarity, not confusion.
With connection, not isolation.
With compassion, not shame.
Your healing matters — not because your pain has to meet someone else’s standard of “trauma,” but because your story, your feelings, and your future are worth honoring.
Hatty J. Lee, LMFT (she/her) is an Asian American licensed marriage and family therapist and brainspotting practitioner who has been practicing for 14 years in community mental health settings, schools, and private practice virtually across California and in-person in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California. As the founder and clinical director of a group practice called Oak and Stone Therapy in Los Angeles, CA, she trains clinicians and supports people to deepen their relationship with themselves and the most important people in their lives. She writes about mental health on her Instagram and is the co-author of The Indwell Guide that integrates visual storytelling, mental health education, and practical tools to support people to heal and thrive.
