So I'm sitting on the couch and there's nice warm fuzzy blankets sitting on the couch

for me and then I grab the pill.

I actually think it was a blue pill.

It's like the matrix like, oh red pill, blue pill.

And I take it and then I lie down on this couch and just listen to the music and wait

for the effects of the drug to kick in.

I know what you might be thinking.

This woman sounds like she's about to get high and a party, but this is actually all

a part of a research study.

A study that will help determine whether taking that little blue pill in therapy could help

black people cope with trauma.

From Gimlet Media, this is The Nod.

A black culture podcast brought to you by Blackness's biggest fans.

I'm Brittany Luce.

So the woman who was about to take that pill, her name is Sarah and she's a therapist.

We'll get into what exactly was in that pill later, but taking that pill was part of

her training as a therapist in a research trial.

A research trial that's exploring possible treatments for racial trauma.

And I didn't really know much about racial trauma until I talked to Sarah.

I mean, don't get me wrong.

I've always known that being a black person in America can be traumatic, but I didn't know

that there's a mental health term for what everyday racism can do to you.

...