Trauma has profound psychological effects that are felt every day. Sometimes the attacks get explained away as being too mundane to rise to the level of trauma, but their burden increases daily across a lifetime. Sometimes there is overt violence — emotional and physical — and the pressure to “stay strong” keeps people silent.

Whatever its size, trauma contributes to a deep emotional strain. Carrying that weight day in and day out is exhausting in itself; the impact is even worse when you are an individual without the freedom of living as you best self. Deep, structural, historical social and political barriers still limit people’s lives based on race, gender, faith tradition, sexual identity.

In this space contributors will pursue mental wellness by examining these sufferings. The essays talk to us about how to minimize unnecessary suffering (which results from our choices) and how to navigate inevitable suffering (which are systemic violations imposed upon us by external forces).