Healing Collective Trauma: How to Get Involved in Your Community

Healing Collective Trauma: How to Get Involved in Your Community

It's truly impossible to speak to anything about trauma recovery and healing without including how we do this in the environment of state violence, unrelenting stress fear. 

Many of my clients, friends, and family have all expressed anger, fear, and frustration, and this persistent sense they aren't doing enough. 

Everyone I've spoken with has already shared multiple ways they are supporting and contributing to their communities, reinforcing community safety, and taking action towards liberation for all. 

It struck me how everyone who WANTS to be involved (personal values) and actually IS involved (committed action) still thinks they aren't engaged ENOUGH (cognitive distortion). And I have these feelings too, every day.

What I've observed and reflected with others is that when we see that our community needs us, and there are so many ways our community needs us, our personal values alert us to take action. 

That alert can come as a feeling and sense that we're not doing enough - then motivating us to mobilize into action. We might be focusing more on the “not enough” part of that sense, and not the “I'm doing” part that reflects the reality.

This isn't to say we shouldn't keep getting engaged, taking action, and stepping up how we show up for each other. 

But more to emphasize that sinking into shame and guilt, however inaccurate, will interfere with our ability to do so. 

Healing Collective Trauma

In order to continue showing up intentionally for each other, we connect to our values, and notice these thoughts “I'm not doing enough” as our values reminding us that they are alive and active.

When we deepen our deliberate connection to our personal values, we can tap into deep wells of motivation and energy, self respect and pride, and sense of belonging through social responsibility.

Activism and community care during this time can look like a wide variety of different contributions and activities. It’s important that we show up for our neighbors on the front lines, protecting them with our bodies, our presence, our cameras, our own might.

And it’s very important to care for and support those who show up on the frontlines - through providing for basic needs, first aid, encouragement, comfort, support, supplies, transportation.

Trauma-Focused Self Care for Activists

One of the coolest EMDR techniques I’ve learned that I LOVE to share with clients is what I call EMDR First Aid. This technique, formally called Tapping Through the Moment, was developed by Laurel Parnell and used to support first responders during acute pandemic crises in order to process the things they experienced and witnessed every day.

This technique helps people process these experiences in a supported way, and can significantly reduce the long-term impact of trauma exposure. It’s very accessible since people can learn this technique and then practice it at home when they need it.

Here’s a video of Constance Kaplan, LMFT demonstrating how it can be used. This is also a technique I teach clients in individual therapy, group therapy for trauma, and offer in one-off online workshops. Check those out here.

EMDR for activists

Mutual Aid and Community Ties

It’s also vital we continue to take care of our connection to our community and keep our relationships alive and functioning; in this way community care can look like supporting local small business, actually talking to neighbors, making sure you know their name and they know yours, supporting local farmers, attending indie-run events.

Learning conflict resolution skills and practicing them with friends and family members can keep bonds strong and hold each other accountable with grace.

Spending quality time checking in with each other, holding space for real genuine emotional expression helps all of us diffuse some of the stress and feel more capable of continuing on.

All to say, don’t get trapped by the belief you aren’t doing enough, instead inquire with curiosity about what your values are telling you.

And do things that remind you that we are all in this together; no one is alone.

Want to start therapy today?? Book an appointment to work with me here!

I offer DBT, EMDR, and other trauma focused therapy to help calm emotional overwhelm and process trauma. You can also listen to my podcast, Initiated Survivor, anywhere you hear podcasts. Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Youtube to get awesome survivor content.

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