Trauma - the search for a poisoned chalice?

Examines trauma's impact on humanitarian workers, contrasting their experiences with common trauma narratives, and argues for reframing trauma discourse to foster resilience and genuine growth without victimhood perspectives.

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What is trauma?

Trauma isn't the event itself, but rather what occurs within you because of the event. Think of a physical injury: the cut is the event, the scar is the trauma. It's the lasting impact, the fear, the emotional memory lodged in your body.

Trauma creates fear, loneliness, helplessness, and disconnects you from your true being. It leads

In order to overcome trauma people need to feel safe enough to open up their hearts and minds to others and become engaged with new possibilities. This can only be done if trauma survivors, and their communities, are helped to confront and confess the reality of what has happened and are helped to feel safe again. In many non-Western cultures this... See more

Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. • The Body Keeps The Score

When we politicize our practices and models of trauma and healing, we learn not to solely depend on the individual-focused techniques that alleviate the pain and distress, but to also mobilize and collectively organize ongoing disruptions:

To disrupt the systemic root causes of the threats and dangers that target the oppressed.

May we also aim for... See more

Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. • The Body Keeps The Score

politicizing Siegel's Window of Tolerance