UNCONSCIOUS BIAS

What is Unconscious Bias?

 

“The unconscious assumptions, beliefs, attitudes and stereotypes that human brains have about different groups.”  -The University of Victoria 

 

“Snap judgements we make about people and situations based upon years of subconscious socialization.” -Harvard School of Public Health

 

“Unconscious bias is when we make judgments or decisions on the basis of our prior experience, our own personal deep-seated thought patterns, assumptions or interpretations  and we are not aware that we are doing it.” - The Royal Society

 

Our unconscious brain is constantly processing and sifting vast amounts of information looking for patterns. When the unconscious brain experiences two things occurring together (e.g. many male senior managers or many female nurses), it begins to expect them to be seen together with the result that other patterns or combinations start to feel less ‘normal’ and more challenging to process. If left unchecked this can easily lead us into (at best) lazy stereotypes and (at worst) prejudicial or discriminatory behaviors.

 

The good news is that our unconscious biases are malleable. We are each responsible for unlearning our biases and our yoga toolkit can help.  What can you identify as healthy balancing tools when biases show up for you?

 

How Does Unconscious Bias Show up in Death Work?

 

Everyone dies. People who may have faced a lifetime of systemic oppression, stigma, stereotypes, and biases may come into our care, and deserve to receive care that is compassionate, understanding, loving, empathetic, and to die a death with dignity. People rightfully may come into our care with a longstanding distrust of the medical system and/or a distrust in caregivers due to their past experiences, and their own unique history of trauma.  Our patients may continue to face medical bias at the end of life, and need us as their advocates.

 

Our unchecked biases can affect their experience of dying.

 

Mental Distress at the End of Life: Terminal Agitation

 

Notice thoughts such as “I know what’s best for them” or “It’s all in their head.”

 

Ask yourself, “Am I unsafe, or am I just uncomfortable.”

 

Emotions are “energy in motion”  Emotions will pass, they are temporary, and it’s healthy to experience them fully.

 

Do I feel a desire to flee this situation and leave this person isolated?

 

Our first line of defense doesn’t always have to be to medicate. Does this patient need medication or companionship?

 

Food for Thought

 

What comes up for you when you think about the following scenarios?  What biases do you observe in yourself and how can you use your yoga toolkit to manage these biases?

 

• A daughter who refuses to come visit her dying father, even though he’s asking to see her.

• A husband who shows up very drunk to visit his dying wife.

• A patient dying of liver cirrhosis, who has a history of substance use and is experiencing terminal agitation.

• An undocumented patient (no U.S citizenship), for whom English is their second language, who has survived many years experiencing homelessness, and has extremely poor hygienic habits.

• A patient who is agitated and expressing rage and grief through yelling and tears, and is refusing medication.