Money in the Mountains: The Cultural Trauma of Appalachia

If the United States is in a state of decline, then at the thin end of the wedge sits Appalachia, one of the country’s most deprived regions, mythologized by outsiders and misunderstood the world over. Embedded as a therapist within this community, Rayelle Davis frames the addiction, suicide, and “diseases of despair” that plague the region as a consequence of cultural trauma, exploitation, and systemic neglect. In this month’s episode, we talk with Rayelle about her new book, 'Money in the Mountains: The Cultural Trauma of Appalachia.' We discuss how Appalachia functions as an internal colony, where everything of value is extracted by a distant elite. We also look at the opioid crisis, the relationship between whiteness and the ‘hillbilly’, the psychological abuse of the American Dream, and how deeply ingrained cultural values of hard work and self-reliance perpetuate harm and prevent healing. 'Money in the Mountains' is 40% off for podcast viewers through plutobooks.com. Use the coupon PODCAST at the checkout. --- Chapters: 00:00 - 04:00 - Intro 04:01 - 05:20 - Growing up in Appalachia 05:21 - 07:50 - Leaving vs staying 07:51 - 09:20 - "They call us money in the mountains" 09:21 - 10:21 - The opioid epidemic 10:22 - 13:30 - Appalachian work ethic 13:31 - 15:12 - Welfare and the cliff effect 15:13 - 19:08 - Education and belonging 19:09 - 21:53 - Cultural trauma 21:54 - 25:50 - White supremacy and psychological abuse 25:51 - 30:12 - Masculinity 30:13 - 32:46 - Voting against your material interests 32:47 - 33:52 - Understanding poverty 33:53 - 35:21 - The American Dream as narcissistic abuse 35:22 - 36:55 - Making Appalachia the land of white poverty 36:56 - 38:30 - JD Vance 38:31 - 39:50 - Weaponizing resilience 39:51 - 43:07 - The hillbilly stereotype 43:08 - 44:47 - "Diseases of despair" 44:48 - 45:42 - Toxic individualism 45:43 - 49:30 - Challenges during the writing process 49:31 - 50:41 - Conclusion --- Subscribe to our channel!    / @plutopressvideos   Sign up to our newsletter to receive special offers and much more! https://bit.ly/plutonewsletters Follow Pluto Press: Instagram:   / plutopress   TikTok:   / pluto.press   X:   / plutopress   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/plutopress.b... 'Money in the Mountains: The Cultural Trauma of Appalachia' by Rayelle Davis is AVAILABLE NOW! Get your copy here: https://www.plutobooks.com/product/mo... --- Rayelle Davis is a licensed therapist specializing in generational trauma in rural working-class communities. She started working as a counsellor in 2016, witnessing the personal stories behind the opioid epidemic, and has gone on to run her own private practice. She is currently working towards her doctoral degree in Counsellor Education and Supervision at Duquesne University. She lives in western Maryland.